FRANCIS  EVANS 


MATTHIAS  HETHERINGTON 

ARCHITECTURAL  &OOKS 
46  KEARNY  STREET        x 
SAN  FRANCISCO.  CAL.  \ 


LIBRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  CALIFORNIA 


SANTA  BARBARA 


From  the  Library  of 
Lutah  Maria  Riggs,  F.A.I. A. 

Given  in  her  Memory  by 
Joseph  E.  Knowles,  Jr. 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION 

EDITED  BY 

THEODORE  G.  SOARES 


THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 
AND  ITS  EQUIPMENT 


THE  UNIVKR8ITY  OP  CHICAGO  PKE8S 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  COMPANY 


THE  CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON  AND  EDINBUE8H 

THE  MAKUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 

TOnO,  OSAKA,    KYOTO,  fVXUOKA,  SINDAl 

THE  MISSION  BOOK  COMPANY 


THE  /SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
BUILDING  AND  ITS 
EQUIPMENT/ 


By 
HERBERT  FRANCIS  EVANS 

Professor  of  Religious  Education,  Grinne/i\  College 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO   PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


.'I 


COPYRIGHT  1914  By 
THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  November  1914 

Second  Impression  May  1916 

Third  Impression  September  1919 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicago  Press 

Chicago.  Illinois.  U.S.A. 


GENERAL  PREFACE 

The  progress  in  religious  education  in  the  last  few 
years  has  been  highly  encouraging.  The  subject 
has  attained  something  of  a  status  as  a  scientific 
study,  and  significant  investigative  and  experimen- 
tal work  has  been  done.  More  than  that,  trained 
men  and  women  in  increasing  numbers  have  been 
devoting  themselves  to  the  endeavor  to  work  out 
in  churches  and  Sunday  schools  the  practical  prob- 
lems of  organization  and  method. 

It  would  seem  that  the  time  has  come  to  pre- 
sent to  the  large  body  of  workers  in  the  field 
of  religious  education  some  of  the  results  of  the 
studies  and  practice  of  those  who  have  attained 
a  measure  of  educational  success.  With  this  end 
in  view  the  present  series  of  books  on  "Principles 
and  Methods  of  Religious  Education"  has  been 
undertaken. 

It  is  intended  that  these  books,  while  thoroughly 
scientific  in  character,  shall  be  at  the  same  time 
popular  in  presentation,  so  that  they  may  be  avail- 
able to  Sunday-school  and  church  workers  every- 
where. The  endeavor  is  definitely  made  to  take 
into  account  the  small  school  with  meager  equip- 
ment, as  well  as  to  hold  before  the  larger  schools 
the  ideals  of  equipment  and  training. 


viii  GENERAL    PREFACE 

The  series  is  planned  to  meet  as  far  as  possible  all 
the  problems  that  arise  in  the  conduct  of  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  church.  While  the  Sunday 
school,  therefore,  is  considered  as  the  basal  organi- 
zation for  this  purpose,  the  wider  educational  work 
of  the  pastor  himself  and  that  of  the  various  other 
church  organizations  receive  due  consideration  as 
parts  of  a  unified  system  of  education  in  morals 
and  religion. 

THE  EDITOR 


FOREWORD 

The  dominant  purpose  of  this  little  book  is  a 
practical  one.  One  of  the  great  wastes  in  modern 
church  life  is  in  the  construction  of  the  working 
plants.  The  rapid  adoption  of  the  graded  lessons 
has  made  an  added  problem  in  church  construction. 
This  book  seeks  to  accomplish  two  results:  first, 
to  outline,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  at  the  present  time, 
the  ideal  Sunday-school  building;  and  secondly, 
to  present  some  of  the  best  recent  plans  which 
point  toward  the  degree  of  efficiency  desired  in 
the  church  school  building. 

The  author  wishes  to  express  his  obligations  to 
the  architects  whose  names  appear  beneath  the 
cuts  which  illustrate  the  book.  Their  co-operation 
makes  possible  the  later  chapters.  These  men 
will  be  found  reliable  and  efficient  in  their  pro- 
fession. The  author  expresses  his  appreciation 
also  to  Rev.  J.  W.  F.  Davies,  of  Winnetka,  Illinois, 
Rev.  Herbert  W.  Gates,  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  Rev.  Albert  W.  Palmer,  of  Oakland,  California, 
who  furnished  several  cuts. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES i 

II.   THE  AKRON  PLAN 5 

III.  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  EXTERIOR       .  14 

IV.  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORSHIP    AND    GENERAL 

ASSEMBLY 20 

V.    MEETING  THE  NEEDS  OF  THE  DEPARTMENTS  24 

VI.    THE  CLASSROOM— ^THE  NEW  UNIT  OF  CON- 
STRUCTION    35 

VII.    THE  CHURCH-HOUSE  AND  COMMUNITY  SERV- 
ICE     41 

VIII.    THE  VILLAGE  AND  COUNTRY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

BUILDING 51 

IX.    THE  SUBURBAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING  61 

X.    THE  CITY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING  ...  69 

XI.    THE  CITY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING,  WITH 
SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  COMMUNITY  SERV- 
ICE       86 

XII.    REMODELING  OLD  CHURCH  BUILDINGS    .     .  104 

XIII.    SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  BUILDING  COMMITTEE  109 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  PLANS 

FIGURE  PAGE 

1.  THE  ORIGINAL  AKRON  PLAN.    MAIN  FLOOR     .  7 

2.  THE  ORIGINAL  AKRON  PLAN.    BALCONY  FLOOR  7 

3.  SECOND  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  ST.  Louis,  Mo.  .     .  17 

4.  WINNETKA  (ILL.)  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH     .  18 

5.  LONG  BEACH  (CAL.)  METHODIST  CHURCH.    PRI- 

MARY DEPARTMENT 28 

6.  PLYMOUTH     CHURCH,     MINNEAPOLIS,     MINN. 

JUNIOR  ROOM 30 

7.  PLYMOUTH  CENTER,  OAKLAND,  CAL.    BASEMENT      46 

8.  PLYMOUTH     CENTER,     OAKLAND,     CAL.    MAIN 

FLOOR 47 

9.  PLYMOUTH    CENTER,    OAKLAND,    CAL.    SECOND 

FLOOR 48 

10.  WESTERN  (NEB.)  BAPTIST  CHURCH      ....       53 

11.  TEMPLE       CHURCH,       MINNEAPOLIS,       MINN. 

GROUND   FLOOR 55 

12.  CANADIAN    COMMISSION    PLAN.    LONGITUDINAL 

SECTION 57 

13.  CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN.    GROUND  FLOOR  58 

14.  CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN.    MAIN  FLOOR     .  59 

15.  FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH,   OAK   PARK, 

ILL.    GROUND  FLOOR 62 

1 6.  FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH-HOUSE,   OAK 

PARK,  ILL 63 

17.  WINNETKA   (ILL.)    COMMUNITY   HOUSE.     FIRST 

FLOOR  66 


xiv      ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    PLANS 

FIGURE  PAGE 

1 8.  WINNETKA  (ILL.)  COMMUNITY  HOUSE.    SECOND 

FLOOR 67 

19.  SOUTH  BEND  (!ND.)  METHODIST  CHURCH.    FIRST 

FLOOR 71 

20.  SOUTH     BEND     (!ND.)     METHODIST     CHURCH. 

SECOND  FLOOR 72 

21.  NORFOLK     (VA.)     CHRISTIAN    CHURCH.    FIRST 

FLOOR 73 

22.  NORFOLK  (VA.)  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH.    MEZZANINE 

FLOOR 74 

23.  KRAMER  PLAN  "B."    FIRST  FLOOR     ....  76 

24.  KRAMER  PLAN  "B."    SECOND  FLOOR  .     ,     .     .  77 

25.  KRAMER  PLAN  "B."    THIRD  FLOOR    ....  78 

26.  JEFFERSON  STREET  (BUFFALO,  N.Y.)  CHURCH  OF 

CHRIST.    BASEMENT 79 

27.  JEFFERSON  STREET  (BUFFALO,  N.Y.)  CHURCH  OF 

CHRIST.    MAIN  FLOOR 80 

28.  JEFFERSON  STREET  (BUFFALO,  N.Y.)  CHURCH  OF 

CHRIST.    SECOND  FLOOR 81 

29.  SAN  DIEGO  (CAL.)  BAPTIST  CHURCH.    BASEMENT      82 

30.  SAN   DIEGO    (CAL.)    BAPTIST    CHURCH.     MAIN 

FLOOR *.  83 

31.  SAN  DIEGO  (CAL.)   BAPTIST  CHURCH.    SECOND 

FLOOR 84 

32.  CANADIAN    COMMISSION    PLAN.    LONGITUDINAL 

SECTION 88 

33.  CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN.    BASEMENT  .     .  89 

34.  CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN.    MAIN  FLOOR     .  90 

35.  CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN.    SECOND  FLOOR  .  91 

36.  BRICK   CHURCH   INSTITUTE,   ROCHESTER,   N.Y. 

BASEMENT 93 


ILLUSTRATIONS   AND    PLANS       xv 

FIGURE  PAGE 

37.  BRICK    CHURCH   INSTITUTE,    ROCHESTER,    N.Y. 

FIRST  FLOOR 94 

38.  BRICK   CHURCH   INSTITUTE,    ROCHESTER,   N,Y. 

SECOND  FLOOR 95 

39.  ST.  PAUL'S  METHODIST  CHURCH,  CEDAR  RAPIDS, 

IOWA.    BASEMENT 100 

40.  ST.  PAUL'S  METHODIST  CHURCH,  CEDAR  RAPIDS, 

IOWA.    MAIN  FLOOR 101 

41.  ST.  PAUL'S  METHODIST  CHURCH,  CEDAR  RAPIDS, 

IOWA.    SECOND  FLOOR 102 

42.  KRAMER  BASEMENT  PLAN 105 


CHAPTER  I 
FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

The  guiding  principle  in  this  discussion  of  the 
Sunday-school  building  will  be  efficiency.  The 
religious-educational  and  social  needs,  especially 
of  the  young  people  of  the  community,  will  be 
regarded  as  primary.  The  child  is  in  the  midst, 
not  only  in  the  conduct  of  the  worship  and  the 
determination  of  the  curriculum  of  the  Sunday 
school,  but  also  in  the  construction  of  the  building 
for  his  use.  This  position  does  not  need  defense 
in  enlightened  circles  today.  We  are  beginning 
to  build  churches  with  the  fact  in  view  that  the 
child  is  present  in  life. 

The  type  of  future  members  in  our  churches 
is  being  determined  everywhere  in  the  Sunday 
schools  of  today.  Let  us  build  so  that  in  the 
highest  degree  the  facilities  are  available  for  the 
highest  efficiency  in  the  realization  of  our  great 
purpose. 

The  leisure  hours  of  our  young  people  are  potent 
for  good  or  evil.  The  church  touches  the  lives  of 
its  young  people  at  too  few  points.  The  need  of 
direction  of  young  people's  leisure  time  is  recog- 
nized and  the  new  architecture  is  responsive  to 
the  need. 


2       THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

The  Sunday  school  is  regarded  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  church's  activity — its  most  important 
service  to  the  community.  If  this  is  recognized 
there  will  be  no  objection  to  the  larger  amount 
asked  for  the  provision  of  adequate  buildings  and 
necessary  equipment. 

The  test  of  efficiency  does  not  deny  the  value 
of  the  traditional  in  architecture.  Indeed,  properly 
considered,  the  beautiful  in  exterior  or  interior  aids 
in  the  high  endeavors  of  teacher  or  superintendent. 
These  pages,  however,  will  not  discuss  the  tradi- 
tional forms  of  church  architecture.  The  under- 
lying purpose  is  practical,  and  such  matters  are 
left  to  the  architect  who  breathes  the  poetry  and 
imagination  of  past  architectural  forms. 

We  turn  now  to  the  principles  which  shall 
actuate  the  author  in  his  discussion  of  the  interior 
of  the  Sunday-school  building.  Here  the  principle 
of  efficiency  will  have  full  sway.  The  following 
principles  will  be  kept  in  mind  throughout  the 
discussion  of  the  problems  involved  in  an  effective 
housing  of  the  church's  educational  and  social 
activity:  (a)  The  importance  of  beautiful  and 
harmonious  arrangement  is  recognized.  The  spirit 
of  worship  is  encouraged  by  an  environment  of 
beauty  and  harmony.  This  will  lead,  for  example, 
to  a  recommendation  to  use  the  church  auditorium 
for  the  worship  period  in  the  Sunday  school. 
(b)  Although  the  teaching  function  of  the  church 


FUNDAMENTAL    PRINCIPLES         3 

is  regarded  as  of  primary  importance  in  this  book, 
the  building  must  be  adaptable  to  other  needs  of 
the  church  as  represented  by  organizations  and 
activities  other  than  those  of  the  Sunday  school. 
Any  other  attitude  than  this  would  be  selfish  and 
contrary  to  the  spirit  which  should  dominate  the 
construction  of  a  church  building,  (c)  The  needs 
of  each  department  will  be  determined  by  investi- 
gation and  the  building  will  be  constructed  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  respond  effectively  to  these  depart- 
mental requirements.  For  convenience  the  terms 
adopted  by  the  International  Sunday  School 
Association  will  be  used.  Those  schools  which  use 
different  departmental  divisions  will  find  it  possible 
to  make  the  adjustments  without  serious  difficulty. 
(d)  Provision  for  the  individual  class  will  be  re- 
garded as  of  primary  importance.  An  entire 
chapter  will  discuss  this  important  matter,  (e) 
The  efficient  building  will  be  related  vitally,  not 
only  to  the  religious  educational  needs  of  the 
members  of  the  Sunday  school,  but  also  to  their 
physical  and  social  life.  (/)  Facilities  for  worship 
will  be  planned  for  the  whole  school,  divided  into 
the  units  demanded  by  the  best  results  of  psy- 
chological study,  (g)  The  recognized  principles 
of  sanitation  and  hygiene  will  be  regarded  as 
necessary  to  any  correct  construction.  Religious 
education  is  dependent  upon  good  air  and  light  in 
the  accomplishment  of  its  high  task,  (ti)  Before 


4      THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

proceeding  to  the  determination  of  the  ideal 
building,  we  shall  profit  by  the  experience  of 
the  past.  The  next  chapter  will  discuss  the  domi- 
nant type  of  architecture  of  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  AKRON  PLAN 

The  modern  Sunday-school  movement  started 
less  than  a  century  and  a  half  ago.  For  over  a 
half-century  it  was  of  doubtful  respectability. 
Not  until  some  of  the  church's  far-seeing  leaders 
approved  the  plan  of  Sunday  schools  for  religious 
instruction  was  the  school  welcomed  into  the 
churches  of  the  land.  These  early  church  build- 
ings were  of  the  one-room  type  with  straight  pews. 
Some  of  the  larger  buildings  had  a  basement  room 
or  two.  In  the  sparsely  settled  regions  of  the 
West,  private  houses  and  public-school  buildings 
were  used  commonly  for  Sunday-school  purposes. 
The  genius  of  the  Sunday  school  makes  it  possible 
to  do  its  important  work  with  little  or  no  facilities 
or  special  equipment.  The  influence  of  person- 
alities on  fire  with  the  ideals  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not 
prevented  from  doing  its  work  by  the  absence  of 
special  buildings.  We  need  at  the  very  outset  of 
our  discussion  to  recognize  that  ideal  buildings  and 
equipment  do  not  make  a  successful  Sunday  school. 
The  essential  element  is  the  consecrated,  intelli- 
gent teacher.  But  given  a  corps  of  teachers  of 
this  type,  a  good  building  and  equipment  greatly 
multiply  efficiency. 


6      THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

With  the  advance  of  population  and  material 
weal tli,  and  the  increase  in  popularity  of  the 
Sunday-school  idea,  the  need  of  better  facilities 
became  pressing. 

ADOPTION   OF   THE   AKRON  PLAN 

The  story  of  the  inception  of  the  Akron  plan 
has  been  related  fully  in  another  volume.1  Lewis 
Miller,  a  lay  Sunday-school  worker  of  Akron,  Ohio, 
created  the  idea  which  is  now  known  as  the  "Akron 
plan."  Bishop  John  H.  Vincent  defined  an  ideal 
Sunday-school  room  in  the  following  sentence: 
"Provide  for  togetherness  and  separateness;  have 
a  room  in  which  the  whole  school  can  be  brought 
together  in  a  moment  for  simultaneous  exercises, 
and  with  a  minimum  of  movement  be  divided  into 
classes  for  uninterrupted  classwork."  With  this 
definition  in  mind  Mr.  Miller,  in  consultation  with 
Mr.  Snyder,  a  local  architect,  and  Mr.  Blythe, 
a  Cleveland  architect,  prepared  the  plans  for  the 
First  Methodist  Sunday  School  of  Akron,  Ohio. 
This  building  was  constructed  in  1867  and  soon 
became  the  center  of  interest  for  Sunday-school 
workers  and  building  committees  from  all  over  the 
continent,  and  indeed  from  all  over  the  world.  The 
original  plan,  now  familiar  to  all  because  of  its  fre- 
quent duplication,  is  reproduced  in  Figs,  i  and  2. 

'Lawrance,  Housing  the  Sunday  School. 


THE    AKRON  PLAN 


By  permission  of  G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York  City 
FIG.  i. — The  Original  Akron  Plan.    Main  Floor 


By  permission  of  G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York  City 
FIG.  2. — The  Original  Akron  Plan.     Balcony  Floor 


8      THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

It  has  been  stated  that  three-fourths  of  the 
churches  during  the  last  fifty  years,  making  special 
provision  for  their  Sunday  schools,  have  used  the 
Akron  plan  in  some  form.  The  essential  features 
of  the  original  plan  were  a  semicircular  auditorium 
with  a  balcony;  the  space  under  the  balcony  was 
divided  into  classrooms,  the  front  of  each  being 
open  so  that  all  could  see  the  superintendent's 
platform;  a  similar  series  of  classrooms  in  the 
balcony  provided  further  facilities  for  privacy. 
A  row  of  seats  made  it  possible  for  all  in  the  balcony 
to  see  the  superintendent  also.  A  fountain  and 
flowers  occupied  the  center  space,  which  was  lighted 
by  clerestory  windows.  The  side  walls  of  these 
odd-shaped  classrooms  were  plastered  and  the 
front  was  closed  by  glass  doors.  Certain  obvious 
advantages  were  realized  at  once  by  this  plan. 
The  classes  heretofore  had  not  been  separated  sat- 
isfactorily in  the  one-  and  two-room  church  build- 
ings. With  the  Akron  plan  many  classrooms  were 
made  available  and  much  privacy  was  afforded. 
The  building  must  have  seemed  a  wonderful 
advance  and  quite  ideal  to  the  Sunday-school 
workers  of  the  seventies. 

The  Uniform  Lessons  were  inaugurated  in  1872 
and  soon  the  Akron  plan  showed  its  adaptability 
to  this  system  of  lessons.  All  the  school  studied 
the  same  lesson  and  worship  for  all  was  conducted 
by  one  man.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  accurate 


THE    AKRON   PLAN  9 

to  say  that  " opening  and  closing  exercises"  were 
conducted  by  the  superintendent,  who  was  the  all- 
important  individual.  Most  of  our  Sunday  schools 
fail  to  use  effectively  the  time  for  worship.  Plenty 
of  noise  and  "enthusiasm"  led  by  a  popular  busi- 
ness man  is  mistaken  often  for  successful  worship 
in  the  Sunday  school.  The  Akron  plan  lent  itself 
to  the  "togetherness"  idea  of  Bishop  Vincent. 
One  of  the  features  of  the  Uniform  Lesson  system 
in  later  years  has  been  the  superintendent's  five- 
minute  review  of  the  Uniform  Lesson  at  the  close 
of  the  class-study.  This  was  facilitated  by  the 
Akron  plan.  For  forty  years  most  of  the  churches 
have  used  some  form  of  the  Akron  plan  in  their 
provision  for  Sunday-school  instruction.  The  plan 
was  varied  in  many  ways,  such  as  the  development 
of  a  more  satisfactory  balcony  seating  arrange- 
ment, the  introduction  of  more  effective  means  of 
shutting  out  sound,  the  squaring  of  the  classrooms, 
and  the  seating  of  the  center  space  on  the  main 
floor.  But  the  essential  idea  of  "togetherness" 
has  reigned  supreme. 

FAULTS   OF   THE  AKRON  PLAN 

With  wide  experience  in  the  use  of  buildings 
of  this  type  difficulties  arose.  Discriminating 
Sunday-school  workers  discovered  that  these  diffi- 
culties were  largely  due  to  the  way  in  which  the 
building  was  constructed.  The  many  partitions 


io     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

of  the  Akron  plan  created  problems  of  discipline 
that  interfered  seriously  in  the  efficient  conduct 
of  worship.  Thoughtful  workers  realize  that  wor- 
ship is  one  of  the  great  opportunities  of  the 
Sunday-school  hour.  Any  lack  of  efficiency  here 
must  be  studied  carefully  and  removed.  The 
worship  of  God  is  a  social  act  and  needs  to  be  con- 
ducted in  a  spirit  of  fellowship.  The  numerous 
plastered  walls  of  the  Akron  plan  broke  the  Sunday- 
school  congregation  into  segments  and  prevented 
the  helpful  worship  possible  in  the  open  room  of 
churchly  architecture.  Architects  attempted  to 
obviate  this  difficulty  by  providing  balcony  seats 
from  which  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  Sunday  school 
could  be  seen;  but  this  was  not  wholly  satisfactory. 
One  of  the  best  known  of  our  Sunday  schools  has 
not  for  years  allowed  classes  to  go  to  the  balcony, 
except  for  the  class  hour.  This,  no  doubt,  is 
but  one  instance  which  might  be  multiplied  by 
hundreds. 

We  are  still  controlled  largely  in  our  Sunday 
schools  by  the  "togetherness"  idea.  The  Akron 
plan  will  be  considered  of  great  advantage  as  long 
as  the  superintendent  is  regarded  as  the  most 
important  personage  in  the  school.  Just  as  long 
as  he  is  considered  the  most  efficient  individual  to 
conduct  worship  for  all,  just  as  long  as  the  super- 
intendent's review  of  the  lesson  is  considered  as 
superior  to  the  specialized  summaries  of  the  indi- 


THE    AKRON   PLAN  n 

vidual  teachers,  the  Akron  plan  will  lend  itself  to 
the  "togetherness"  idea. 

As  better  methods  of  instructing  young  children 
came  into  our  Sunday  schools  the  teachers  of 
Beginners  and  Primary  departments  began  to 
demand  entire  separation.  This  has  been  realized 
only  gradually  and  with  great  reluctance  on  the 
part  of  the  Sunday-school  world.  But  the  inevit- 
able has  come  to  pass  and  reflects  itself  in  separate 
rooms  for  the  two  lower  departments.  George  W. 
Kramer,  a  New  York  architect,  apparently  saw 
the  trend  of  Sunday-school  development  and  as 
far  back  as  1893  prepared  a  model  building  which 
was  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair  that  year.  This 
building  provided  separate  rooms  for  all  depart- 
ments, still  retaining,  however,  the  possibility  of 
"togetherness." 

Nor  was  the  method  by  which  "  separateness " 
was  gained  altogether  satisfactory.  Reference  has 
already  been  made  to  the  demands  of  the  Primary 
teachers.  The  requirements  of  pedagogy  call  for 
frequent  change  of  program  with  the  little  children. 
The  use  of  music  could  not  but  disturb  the  rest 
of  the  school.  The  strangely  shaped  classrooms 
required  for  the  focus  of  all  upon  the  superin- 
tendent were  not  satisfactory.  Frequently  they 
were  poorly  lighted,  and  almost  always,  especially 
in  the  smaller  churches,  the  ventilation  was  seri- 
ously defective.  So  often  is  this  the  case  that 


12     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

very  frequently  the  curtains  or  doors  of  the  Akron- 
plan  classrooms  are  left  open  during  the  class 
hour.  Poor  air  and  light  will  defeat  the  best 
efforts  of  an  efficient  teacher.  The  elimination  of 
disturbing  noises  was  not  completely  successful, 
because  of  the  flimsy  partitions  and  temporary 
provision  for  the  front  closing  so  frequently  used. 

THE  AKRON  PLAN  AND   GRADED   LESSONS 

In  1908  the  International  Sunday  School  Asso- 
ciation in  convention  at  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
authorized  the  preparation  of  graded  lesson  out- 
lines. The  graded  lessons  for  the  lower  depart- 
ments had  been  in  use  for  several  years.  The 
architectural  situation  soon  became  acute.  Within 
five  years  35,000  schools  adopted  the  graded 
lessons.  These  schools  felt  the  pressure  of  inade- 
quate building  facilities.  The  Akron  plan  was 
found  to  be  unsuited  to  the  new  lessons.  This  was 
foreseen  by  the  more  intelligent  of  the  advocates 
of  the  Akron  plan.  The  graded  lessons  require 
several  Separate  departmental  assemblies  as  well 
as  separation  by  grades  or  classes  within  depart- 
ments. Each  grade  in  a  fully  graded  school  uses 
different  lesson  material.  The  review  by  the 
superintendent  is  no  longer  possible.  The  super- 
intendent of  a  school  of  1,000  members  told  the 
author  that  he  was  going  to  resign,  for  there  was 
nothing  worth  while  for  him  to  do,  now  that  the 


THEAKRONPLAN  13 

lesson  did  not  require  review  at  the  close  of  the 
hour!  With  the  new  graded  lessons  a  general 
assembly  is  only  occasional,  except  in  the  smaller 
schools.  Stress  is  laid  upon  a  carefully  conducted 
departmental  assembly,  and  especially  upon  the 
work  of  the  pupils  in  the  individual  classes.  The 
new  unit  is  the  classroom.  The  new  person  of 
importance  is  the  teacher. 

There  has  been  much  activity  among  architects 
since  1909,  seeking  to  produce  a  building  which 
shall  be  satisfactory  with  the  new  graded  lessons. 
Much  progress  has  been  made.  This  volume  will 
show  plans  of  some  of  the  newer  types  and  will 
indicate  the  line  of  progress.  But  before  consid- 
ering the  plans  in  detail  it  will  be  advisable  to 
determine  the  lines  which  an  ideal  Sunday-school 
building  will  follow.  This  we  shall  do  in  the 
following  five  chapters. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  EXTERIOR 
THE  IDEAL  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 

It  will,  of  course,  be  impossible  to  present  in  the 
following  chapters  the  plans  for  a  building  which 
will  satisfy  every  need  of  every  Sunday  school, 
regardless  of  situation  and  size.  However,  there 
are  certain  fundamental  features  which  should  be 
present  in  the  ideal  building  for  the  modern  graded 
Sunday  school.  Indeed,  those  churches  which 
still  prefer  to  use  the  Uniform  Lessons  will  find  here 
helpful  suggestions  in  planning  their  new  buildings. 
The  question  is  asked  in  every  case,  Will  this  fea- 
ture make  the  building  more  efficient  in  carrying 
out  the  ultimate  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school  as 
the  educational  arm  of  the  church?  The  author 
has  in  mind  the  average  school  rather  than  the  very 
large  or  the  very  small  school.  Practically  every 
suggestion  will  be  found  adaptable  in  some  measure 
to  every  school.  The  reader  will  find  hi  the  suc- 
ceeding chapters  the  principles  and  illustrations 
by  which  he  may  work  out  the  solution  of  his 
individual  problems. 

EXTERIOR   ARCHITECTURE 

The  purpose  for  which  the  Sunday  school  exists 
can  best  be  served  by  a  substantial,  dignified,  and 

14 


IMPORTANCE   OF   THE   EXTERIOR   15 

beautiful  exterior.  If  beautiful  architecture  can 
be  justified  at  all,  it  must  be  used  in  the  buildings 
which  house  the  religious  educational  facilities  for 
our  growing  young  people.  The  church  building 
should  incorporate  in  itself,  in  a  sense,  some  of  the 
great  thoughts  for  which  religion  stands.  It  is  a 
reflection  of  the  value  which  its  builders  place  upon 
God  and  his  worship. 

Therefore  it  should  be  durable  in  construction, 
with  simple  exterior  plan  and  notable  absence 
of  flimsy  ornament.  That  construction  material 
which  is  genuine,  rather  than  that  which  is  veneer 
or  showy  in  character,  is  to  be  preferred.  The 
lines  of  the  building  should  suggest  strength  and 
repose,  dignity  and  reverence.  Thus  the  uncon- 
scious impression  of  the  building  in  which  the 
Sunday-school  interests  of  the  church  are  housed 
will  serve  that  for  which  the  Sunday  school 
exists.  It  will  take  a  courageous  committee  to 
withstand  the  temptation  to  make  a  large,  showy 
exterior.  The  ministry  of  art  in  giving  refine- 
ment and  proportion  to  our  church  buildings  is 
an  undoubted  influence  for  religious  education. 
While  these  considerations  are  usually  given 
due  attention  in  our  larger  and  more  pretentious 
buildings,  they  are  often  forgotten  in  our  humbler 
churches,  which,  nevertheless,  are  planned  to 
perform  the  same  function  in  the  lives  of  our 
people. 


16    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

Attention  should  be  called  also  to  the  necessity 
of  surrounding  our  churches  with  artistic  and  well- 
kept  grounds.  Many  otherwise  beautiful  buildings 
give  a  poor  impression  because  of  the  wrong  treat- 
merit  of  the  grounds.  The  buildings  are  often- 
times placed  too  near  the  street,  or  face  the  street 
in  a  wrong  direction.  The  vertical  surface  of  the 
side  of  the  building  should  be  blended  with  the 
horizontal  surface  of  the  ground  by  judicious  plant- 
ing of  shrubbery  or  vines.  The  landscape  gardener 
often  can  render  great  service  to  the  committee 
just  completing  a  new  church  and  Sunday-school 
building.  Too  much  attention  cannot  be  given 
to  the  impression  made  upon  boys  and  girls  by  the 
buildings  and  grounds  with  which  is  associated 
their  religious  education. 

The  buildings  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church, 
St.  Louis,  Missouri  (Fig.  3),  illustrate  in  a  marked 
degree  the  use  of  the  splendid  Lombardy  Gothic 
architecture.  The  left-hand  building  is  used  for 
church  worship  and  the  right-hand  building  for 
educational  and  social  purposes.  The  space  be- 
tween is  a  sunken  garden.  Above  the  rear  loggia 
rises  the  noble  campanile.  Thus  the  church  in  its 
architecture  declares  to  the  world  its  faith  in  the 
importance  both  of  worship  and  the  educational 
and  social  work  of  the  church. 

An  excellent  example  of  a  good  exterior  for  a 
church  seeking  to  serve  the  community  at  large  is 


IMPORTANCE    OF   THE   EXTERIOR     17 


i8     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


•9 


I 


§ 

I 


IMPORTANCE    OF    THE    EXTERIOR     IQ 

shown  in  Fig.  4.  This  church  is  located  in  a  subur- 
ban district  where  the  cost  of  the  land  is  not  so 
serious  a  factor  as  in  a  large  city.  The  plans  of  the 
community  house  of  the  Winnetka  (111.)  Congre- 
gational Church  are  shown  in  Figs.  17,  18.  The 
notable  absence  of  ihe  showy,  the  noble  tower 
entrance,  the  blending  of  lawn  and  shrubbery  with 
the  rough  stone  of  the  walls,  all  contribute  to  a 
harmonious  whole  which  must  have  a  refining 
influence  upon  the  hundreds  who  come  and  go 
every  week. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  expend  a  large  amount  of 
money  to  gain  a  building  the  exterior  of  which  is 
satisfying.  Often  a  large  amount  of  money  fails 
to  gam  the  very  elements  which  are  here  regarded 
as  essential.  It  is  more  a  matter  of  good  taste 
and  artistic  judgment  than  the  expenditure  of 
money.  If  the  architect  employed  is  an  artist  he 
will  breathe  into  the  church,  whether  large  or  small, 
an  atmosphere  of  reverence  and  worship. 


CHAPTER  IV 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORSHIP   AND    GENERAL 
ASSEMBLY 

The  worship  of  the  pupils  of  our  Sunday  schools 
should  be  graded  as  well  as  the  curriculum  mate- 
rial. This  is  made  necessary,  not  by  any  passing 
fad,  but  by  the  newly  discovered  growing  child, 
who  determines  for  us  the  proper  equipment  for 
his  education.  It  is  not  possible  to  conduct 
properly  in  one  session  the  worship  of  pupils  vary- 
ing in  age  from  four  years  to  full  maturity.  When 
the  appeal  is  effective  for  one  age,  other  groups  are 
listless  or  inattentive.  Thus  the  problem  of  cor- 
rectly grading  Sunday-school  worship  becomes  a 
vital  one  to  the  persons  seeking  to  house  the  Sun- 
day school  effectively.  An  understanding  of  its 
function  in  directing  the  worship  of  children  and 
youth  will  urge  careful  attention  to  that  portion  of 
the  Sunday-school  activity  which  takes  one-half 
of  the  pupil's  time  in  the  Sunday-school  session. 
Psychology,  then,  demands  that  the  Sunday-school 
worship  shall  be  graded  and  conducted  in  several 
groups. 

When  the  school  is  large  the  problem  is  not 
so  difficult.  The  Beginners  will  have  a  separate 
room  with  musical  instrument.  So  also  will  the 

20 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORSHIP         21 

Primary  children,  aged  six  to  eight.  Some  schools 
find  it  possible  to  conduct  worship  in  an  "Ele- 
mentary Division,"  constituting  Grades  i  to  4  or  5 
(Fig.  6).  The  Juniors  in  a  large  school  will  wor- 
ship in  their  own  room,  effectually  shut  away  from 
outside  disturbances.  This  department  should  be 
cared  for  generously  in  every  way,  for  the  church's 
recruits  are  largely  prepared  for  the  new  loyalty 
in  this  period.  Worship,  then,  should  be  directed 
carefully  for  the  Junior  group.  The  Intermediate 
and  Senior  departments  will  worship  together  most 
frequently.  It  is  true  that  a  demand  for  sex  sepa- 
ration in  the  "teen-age"  periods  calls  for  two 
groups  for  worship.  Where  this  seems  to  be  wise, 
separate  rooms  will  be  required.  Later  plans  will 
show  how  this  is  possible.  The  great  majority  of 
schools,  no  doubt,  will  continue  for  some  time  the 
worship  of  ages  thirteen  to  twenty  of  both  sexes 
in  one  group.  Separate  assemblies  of  boys  or  girls 
after  class  work  can  be  planned  easily.  Adult 
worship  comes  normally  at  the  church  hour.  No 
special  provision  is  needed  for  men  and  women  in 
most  schools.  Either  they  will  worship  with  the 
upper  departments  of  the  school,  or,  meeting  a 
half-hour  later  than  the  rest  of  the  school,  they 
will  go  into  the  regular  morning  service  for  their 
worship. 

When  the  school  is  smaller,  combinations  will  be 
necessary  and  desirable  in  worship.    The  Beginners 


22     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

and  Primary  departments  will  unite  for  worship, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  school  will  worship  to- 
gether. Such  a  plan  will  be  shown  later  (Fig.  10). 

But  what  provision  will  be  made  in  the  ideal 
building  for  general  assembly  of  the  whole  school  ? 
There  are  the  special  days  with  large  attendance 
and  many  visitors — Rally  Day,  Thanksgiving 
Day,  Christmas,  Easter,  Memorial  Day,  Grad- 
uation, etc.  The  whole  school  will  meet  in  general 
assembly  only  occasionally,  not  over  seven  or  eight 
times  a  year.  A  large  auditorium  should  not  be 
built  to  be  used  on  so  few  occasions.  Where  shall 
these  sessions  be  held?  The  obvious  answer  is, 
In  the  church  auditorium.  Some  may  object  at 
once.  The  church  proper  should  not  be  used  for 
children's  exercises  lest  reverence  be  destroyed. 
One  of  the  important  duties  of  the  church  school  is 
to  develop  a  sense  of  reverence  in  the  growing  child. 
Surely  no  place  could  be  found  more  calculated  to 
arouse  reverence  than  the  church  auditorium.  It 
is  true  that  the  use  of  the  church  auditorium  might 
change  the  type  of  worship  and  general  assembly. 
That  might  not  be  a  serious  result.  We  suspect 
that  the  unwillingness  to  allow  the  use  of  the 
church  auditorium  for  Sunday-school  purposes, 
in  many  cases,  arises  from  a  knowledge  of  the  type 
of  worship  often  conducted  in  our  Sunday  schools. 

In  the  larger  churches  there  will  be  a  demand 
for  a  general  assembly  room  for  entertainments 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORSHIP         23 

and  social  purposes.  Such  a  room  should  then  be 
provided  in  the  ideal  plan.  Often  it  will  be  the 
gymnasium  where  facilities  are  afforded  for  physi- 
cal recreation  (Figs.  8,  13,  39  will  illustrate  this 
suggestion). 

The  worship  facilities  of  departmental  groups 
will  be  discussed  more  fully  in  the  next  chapter. 
This  chapter  has  sought  to  make  clear  the  fact  that 
the  worship  of  a  modern  Sunday  school  will  be 
conducted  in  from  three  to  five  groups,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  school.  The  secondary  audi- 
torium for  Sunday-school  assembly  has  been  dis- 
couraged, for  the  space  is  needed  for  classrooms, 
as  chap,  vi  will  make  clear.  Where  the  Sunday 
school  is  large,  a  secondary  auditorium,  also  fitted 
to  serve  the  church  for  social  and  gymnastic  pur- 
poses, is  recommended.  The  plans  shown  later 
will  illustrate  the  possibilities  in  this  direction. 


CHAPTER  V 
MEETING  THE  NEEDS  OF  THE  DEPARTMENTS 

Departmental  needs  will  be  discussed  under 
the  following  heads:  Beginners,  Primary,  Junior, 
Intermediate,  Senior,  Adult.  Access  to  any  'of 
these  departments  must  be  direct  from  halls  and 
not  through  other  departments.  The  classroom 
facilities  for  each  department  will  be  discussed  in 
detail  in  the  following  section. 

It  is  clear  that  absolutely  separate  rooms  must 
be  provided  for  the  first  three  departments.  The 
method  of  combining  these  departments  into  a 
large  assembly  room  by  the  use  of  temporary  parti- 
tions of  any  kind  must  be  abandoned,  and  perfect 
freedom  from  disturbance  by  those  near  by  must 
be  accorded  each  of  these  departments.  Each  of 
these  three  departments  ministers  to  a  distinct 
epoch  in  the  life  of  the  child  or  youth.  If  a  given 
department  does  not  do  its  full  work,  all  later 
departments  will  suffer  in  their  efficiency;  or, 
stated  in  more  serious  language,  the  religious  life  of 
the  boys  and  girls  in  the  departments  not  properly 
provided  for  will  suffer  beyond  recovery. 

BEGINNERS   DEPARTMENT 

No  movement  in  modern  education  has  better 
vindicated  its  right  to  be  than  the  Kindergarten. 

24 


NEEDS    OF    DEPARTMENTS          25 

The  religious  significance  of  the  work  for  the  smaller 
children  is  well  recognized  by  educators.  The 
Beginners  Department  in  the  Sunday  school,  then, 
should  have  every  facility  for  its  work.  It  would 
be  foolish  policy  indeed  to  limit  the  efficiency  of  the 
educational  work  at  its  very  foundation.  How 
permanent  can  we  expect  the  superstructure  to  be 
that  is  placed  upon  an  inadequate  foundation? 
The  social  experience  of  the  children  of  the  Begin- 
ners' age  is  limited  very  largely  to  the  home.  The 
room  used  for  their  religious  education  should  there- 
fore partake  as  largely  as  possible  of  ideal,  home- 
like conditions.  The  ideal  Beginners'  room  will 
be  flooded  with  sunshine  and  cheeriness  and  pro- 
vided with  ample  fresh  air.  The  young  child  in 
a  new  environment  will  be  fearful  if  the  place  is 
gloomy.  The  department  will  be  on  the  ground 
floor  with  the  fewest  possible  steps.  Even  two 
or  three  steps  should  be  eliminated,  when  direct 
outside  entrance  is  possible,  by  the  use  of  a  rubber- 
covered  gentle  incline.  The  ceiling  of  the  ideal 
department  for  Beginners  will  be  low  and  studded. 
Care  will  be  taken  that  the  room  is  not  unduly 
large.  The  department  needs  little  more  room 
than  for  the  circle  of  chairs  and  the  kindergarten 
tables.  The  visitors  should  have  an  inconspicuous 
place  at  the  backs  of  the  children;  possibly,  if  the 
school  is  large  and  visitors  are  present  often,  in  an 
alcove  built  a  step  above  the  room.  The  pictures 


26     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

used  to  decorate  this  room  should  be  hung  low, 
near  to  the  line  of  vision  of  the  children;  a  burlap 
dado  is  useful  on  which  to  fasten  lesson  pictures 
close  to  their  eyes.  The  room  will  be  more 
homelike  if  the  floor  is  covered  with  a  rug. 
If  bare  floors  are  used,  the  legs  of  the  little  chairs 
should  be  provided  with  rubber  tips.  The  black- 
board is  desirable,  either  built  into  place  or 
movable.  The  children  can  do  their  work  best 
seated  on  small  chairs  at  standard  kindergarten 
tables.  Thoughtfulness  for  the  teachers  dictates 
ample  locker  and  cabinet  space,  so  that  all 
lesson  material  may  be  stored  in  order  and  be 
found  quickly  when  needed.  The  lack  of  this 
simple  requirement  often  has  interfered  with 
efficient  work.  The  ideal  calls  for  a  cloakroom; 
a  closet  with  low  toilet  for  children;  and  a 
screen  near  the  entrance  of  the  room  to  prevent 
undue  disturbance  from  those  entering  during  the 
exercises.  Screens  will  also  be  found  valuable 
for  the  separation  of  the  two  years  of  the  Be- 
ginners, and  of  classes  seated  close  to  each  other. 
In  the  larger  school  a  folding  door,  or  other 
device,  may  be  helpful  during  the.  class  hour  for 
the  separation  of  the  two  years  of  Beginners' 
work.  Other  suggestions  for  this  department 
may  be  found  in  the  examination  of  modern 
kindergarten  departments  in  our  better  public 
schools. 


NEEDS    OF    DEPARTMENTS          27 

PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT 

This  department  should  have  a  room  entirely  its 
own,  entirely  separated  from  other  departments  by 
permanent  walls.  It  should  have  access  to  the 
rest  of  the  school  by  means  of  halls,  not  by  means 
of  doors  entering  directly  into  other  departments. 
Where  the  Primary  and  Beginners  departments 
are  located  in  close  contiguity,  a  cloakroom  may, 
with  advantage,  be  placed  between  the  two  rooms. 
The  Mothers'  room,  to  which  reference  is  made 
later,  may  be  located  with  convenient  access  to 
these  departments.  The  Primary  Department 
room  should  be  large  enough  to  permit  of  division 
into  three  rooms  by  means  of  accordion  doors  or 
other  device.  This  will  permit  each  grade  to  have 
a  room  by  itself  for  the  class  hour.  Should  this 
not  be  practicable,  a  compromise  may  be  made  by 
having  two  smaller  classrooms  opening  from  the 
main  Primary  room.  All  that  has  been  said  in  the 
paragraph  on  the  Beginners  Department  concern- 
ing sunshine,  height  of  ceiling,  placing  of  pictures, 
tables,  and  chairs  is  applicable  here.  The  tables 
should  be  of  a  height  that  will  enable  the  pupils  to 
work  with  comfort.  The  chairs  should  enable  the 
children  to  sit  with  their  feet  easily  reaching  the 
floor.  Fig.  5  gives  the  floor  plan  of  the  Long 
Beach  (California)  Methodist  Primary  Depart- 
ment which  has  many  admirable  features.  Note 
the  provision  for  children's  toilet,  visitors,  separate 


28    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 


Q 


NEEDS    OF    DEPARTMENTS          29 

classrooms,  and  soft,  overhead  light.  The  Plym- 
outh Church,  Minneapolis,  has  a  department  for 
Grades  i  to  4  (Fig.  6)  which  is  thus  described  by 
the  superintendent  of  the  school  in  Religious  Edu- 
cation (August,  1910): 

The  Junior  Department  includes  the  Kindergarten  class 
and  the  first  four  grades,  and  for  this  section  of  the  school 
the  Junior  or  Children's  room  was  designed.  Accessible 
through  a  large  double  door,  it  is  a  room  30X34  feet  in  size. 
In  one  corner  is  a  door  which  leads  to  a  safe  iron  fire  escape. 
The  room  is  lighted  by  eight  Gothic  windows.  The  wood- 
work is  a  soft  brown-toned  oak,  the  walls  painted  in  flat 
color  to  harmonize  with  the  panelings.  A  good  yellow- 
brown  carpet  covers  the  floor;  simple  net  curtains  soften 
the  light  which  comes  through  the  many  diamond  panes  of 
clear  glass.  The  room  is  furnished  with  120  specially 
designed  little  Gothic  chairs  in  the  same  soft  brown  color. 

A  unique  feature  of  this  room  is  the  generous 
use  of  the  best  art  in  its  decoration.  A  beautiful 
fireplace  is  centrally  located.  On  the  wainscoting 
of  three  sides  of  the  room  are  installed  forty-four 
brown  carbon  prints  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  Opening 
from  this  room  are  enough  classrooms  to  allow 
each  grade  to  withdraw  to  its  own  room,  leaving 
the  larger  room  for  the  Beginners'  circle. 

JUNIOR  DEPARTMENT 

Some  of  the  most  important  work  in  the  Sunday 
school  is  done  during  the  four  years  of  this  depart- 
ment. More  study  may  be  expected  and  more 


30    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


Shepley,  Rulcn  &  Coolidge,  Architects,  Boston,  Mass. 

FIG.  6. — Plymouth  Church,  Minneapolis,  Minn.    Junior  Room 


NEEDS    OF    DEPARTMENTS          31 

information  is  absorbed  by  the  pupils  during 
this  period  than  in  any  other  to  which  the 
Sunday  school  ministers.  A  separate  depart- 
mental room  is  absolutely  essential  in  which 
worship  can  be  conducted  without  disturbing 
other  departments  or  being  disturbed  by  them. 
The  same  suggestions  made  earlier  concerning 
cloakrooms  may  be  used  in  this  case  to  insure 
soundproof  partitions. 

The  room  should  be  capable  of  division  into  four 
separate  grade  rooms  by  removable  partitions. 
Experts  vary  as  to  the  separation  of  the  sexes  for 
class  work  in  this  department.  The  writer  regards 
the  separation  of  boys  and  girls  as  desirable  at  this 
age.  In  such  case  the  provision  of  four  additional 
classrooms  opening  from  this  departmental  room 
would  be  ideal.  Where  the  divisions  are  made  as 
first  suggested,  screens  may  separate  the  classes 
in  the  same  room.  These  classes  will  be  seated  at 
table?  about  3X7  feet  in  size,  the  teacher  seated 
at  the  middle  of  one  side  of  the  table.  Where  pro- 
vision is  made  for  a  geography  room  it  should  be 
located  in  convenient  relation  to  the  higher  grades 
of  the  Junior  Department.  See  a  later  paragraph 
for  a  description  of  this  room.  Blackboards  should 
be  available  for  each  class  in  this  department,  and 
maps  for  the  upper  classes,  depending  on  the  grade 
in  which  they  take  up  geography  in  the  public 
schools. 


32     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

The  Junior  Department  is  a  busy  workroom, 
having  no  special  provision  for  visitors.  This 
department  needs  every  facility  for  worship  and  for 
grade  instruction,  and  in  the  larger  schools  for 
separation  into  individual  classes  not  exceeding 
ten  pupils  in  number. 

INTERMEDIATE   DEPARTMENT 

The  architectural  requirements  for  the  Inter- 
mediate and  Senior  departments  vary  with  the  size 
of  the  school.  With  the  average  school  these 
departments  will  probably  meet  together  for  wor- 
ship, also  including  adult  members  of  the  school. 
In  this  case  there  will  be  required  a  room  of  ade- 
quate size  for  the  assembly  with  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  adjacent  classrooms  of  varying  size.  The 
assembly  room  may  also  be  divided  into  several 
temporary  classrooms.  Not  every  grade  of  the 
International  system  will  be  represented  always  in 
these  departments.  It  will  be  better  to  group 
a  larger  number  with  a  fine  teacher  than  to 
break  up  these  departments  into  numerous  small 
classes  which  will  lack  the  essential  quality  of 
enthusiasm. 

There  is  developing  a  considerable  sentiment 
for  Boys'  and  Girls'  departments  from  the  Inter- 
mediate age  on.  Where  this  is  desired,  adequate 
architectural  provision  can  be  made  in  a  manner 
similar  to  that  recommended  for  the  Junior  Depart- 


NEEDS    OF    DEPARTMENTS          33 

ment.  Illustrations  of  such  a  division  will  be 
shown  later  (see  Figs.  19,  20,  35).  In  the  larger 
schools  the  Boys'  and  Girls'  departments  will  be 
found  of  considerable  advantage,  especially  if  pro- 
vision is  made  for  regular  worship  together.  The 
larger  school  will  make  provision  for  separate 
assembly  for  the  Intermediate  and  Senior  depart- 
ments. The  assembly  room  of  the  Intermediate 
Department  when  provided  could  be  divided  into 
two  rooms,  one  for  each  sex,  for  departmental 
meetings.  Close  to  this  assembly  room  the  class- 
rooms should  be  located. 

The  use  of  the  church  auditorium  for  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Intermediate,  Senior,  and  Adult  depart- 
ments is  recommended  where  the  school  is  not  too 
large.  This  would  give  a  beautiful,  churchly  room 
for  the  worship  of  these  groups  and  would  obviate 
the  necessity  of  building  a  second  auditorium  for 
this  special  purpose.  A  later  section  will  indicate 
more  in  detail  the  character  of  the  classrooms. 

SENIOR   DEPARTMENT 

The  needs  of  this  department  have  been  covered 
practically  in  the  foregoing  section.  The  unit  is 
the  classroom  of  the  type  suggested  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  that  important  subject.  The  classes 
will  tend  to  become  larger  in  size  in  this  depart- 
ment, hence  larger  classrooms  for  organized  classes 
will  be  required. 


34     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

ADULT  DEPARTMENT 

The  worship  provision  for  the  members  of  this 
department  should  be  either  in  the  united  session 
of  the  upper  departments  referred  to  in  foregoing 
sections  or  in  the  regular  service  of  worship  of  the 
church,  which  is  the  logical  time  for  adult  members 
of  the  school.  In  that  case  adult  classes  will  meet 
in  their  own  classrooms  a  half-hour  later  than  the 
rest  of  the  school  if  the  session  precedes  the  morning 
worship  of  the  church.  Large,  cheerful  rooms, 
comfortably  seated,  provided  with  built-in  black- 
boards and  a  nest  of  maps  of  biblical  lands,  will 
provide  adequate  accommodation  for  adult  classes. 
These  rooms  may  be  thrown  together  by  means  of 
folding  doors  and  thus  make  the  large  church  parlor 
for  general  social  occasions. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  CLASSROOM— THE  NEW  UNIT  OF 
CONSTRUCTION 

The  classroom  is  the  unit  of  architecture  for 
the  graded  lessons.  The  teacher  is  the  important 
personage  whose  class  of  whatever  age  must  be 
given  adequate  provision .  In  general  an  ideal  class- 
room may  be  described  as  a  rectangular,  plastered 
room,  with  outdoor  light  and  good  air.  This 
room  will  have  entrance  by  but  one  door  to  a 
hall,  and  will  not  be  connected  with  a  neighboring 
classroom,  except  by  this  hall.  Wall  space  will  be 
sufficient  for  all  equipment,  including  maps  and 
blackboard  necessary  for  the  conduct  of  the  class. 
A  cabinet  will  be  in  place  in  which  the  class  sup- 
plies can  be  kept.  The  floor  space  will  be  sufficient 
for  a  large  table  about  which  the  class  will  sit,  or 
in  the  case  of  high-school  pupils  desk  chairs  may  be 
substituted.  Upon  the  walls  will  be  hung  beauti- 
ful art  reproductions  suitable  to  the  age  using 
the  room  and  appropriate  to  the  lesson  material 
studied.  Clearly  this  is  an  ideal  situation  which 
in  many  cases  must  be  approximated  rather  than 
fully  realized.  But  it  is  well  to  recognize  the 
ideal;  often  it  will  be  found  quite  possible  of 
realization. 

35 


36    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

CLASSROOMS  BY  DEPARTMENTS 
In  the  Beginners  and  Primary  departments 
separate  rooms  for  a  portion  of  the  membership 
are  desirable  in  some  degree,  but  not  so  essential  - 
as  hi  later  years.  Screens,  curtains,  and  folding 
doors  will  frequently  afford  such  a  degree  of  privacy 
and  freedom  from  disturbance  as  will  give  efficient 
service.  The  larger  the  departments  the  more 
provision  should  be  made  for  some  additional 
classrooms  for  these  departments,  but  in  the 
average  school  such  provisions  as  are  suggested 
in  the  previous  section  may  be  regarded  as 
adequate. 

The  Junior  Department,  however,  presents 
a  different  problem.  Discipline  must  take  a 
different  form.  Outside  interruptions  must  be 
shut  out  in  every  way  possible.  The  author 
regards  separate  classrooms  as  pedagogically  valu- 
able for  this  department,  or  for  the  upper  classes 
in  it.  At  least  screens  or  curtains  should  be 
employed.  If  these  Junior  classes  can  be  shut 
away  from  outside  noises  and  sights,  efficiency 
will  be  greatly  increased.  A  much  larger  number 
may  be  handled  in  a  class  when  a  quiet  room 
is  provided.  The  classrooms  for  the  Junior 
Department  should  have  large  tables  of  proper 
height,  comfortable  chairs,  blackboard,  suitable 
pictures,  and,  in  the  upper  grades,  maps  of 
Palestine. 


THE    CLASSROOM  37 

It  is  in  the  Intermediate  Department  that  the 
classroom  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  Answer- 
ing to  the  general  requirements  of  the  ideal  class- 
room it  may  also  become  the  clubroom  for  the 
social  life  of  the  class  during  the  week.  Its 
decoration  may  be  made  a  matter  of  class  interest 
under  the  direction  of  the  teacher.  Knowing 
that  60  per  cent  of  all  the  pupils  who  leave  the 
Sunday  school  do  so  during  the  ages  which  this 
department  includes,  what  should  we  not  do  to 
make  the  church  life  of  these  unstable  youths  of 
the  utmost  attractiveness  ? 

All  that  has  been  said  concerning  the  class- 
room requirements  of  the  Intermediate  is  true  also 
of  the  Senior  Department.  These  young  people 
will  very  soon  be  active  in  many  of  the  church 
organizations.  Let  them  have  every  encourage- 
ment. The  church  should  be  the  most  attractive 
place  in  the  community  life  to  them.  Churches 
which  desire  to  improve  present  buildings  by 
providing  better  classroom  facilities  will  find 
suggestions  in  chap,  xii,  "Remodeling  Old 
Church  Buildings." 

A  word  may  be  added  about  different  methods 
of  making  classrooms.  Curtains  are  better  than 
nothing,  but  should  not  be  planned  in  a  new  build- 
ing. In  one  of  the  recent  notable  Sunday-school 
buildings  from  the  standpoint  of  expenditure,  a 
sum  of  $1,200  was  expended  for  curtains  and  brass 


38    THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

rods  to  make  sixteen  classrooms!  A  few  hundred 
dollars  more  would  have  given  a  much  superior 
form  of  separation  of  classes.  Screens  are  good 
to  separate  classes  from  passing  people,  but  arc 
not  efficient  in  shutting  out  noises.  Accordion 
doors,  when  tightly  fitted,  or  flexible  doors  similar 
to  a  roll-top  desk  are  good.  Architects  are  using 
a  door  consisting  of  a  frame  covered  with  heavy 
canvas  on  either  side  and  inclosing  an  air  space. 
This  door  or  partition  is  said  to  be  very  effective. 
The  architect  should  be  consulted  about  these 
details.  Nothing,  however,  will  take  the  place  of 
the  plastered  wall  and  the  closely  fitted  door. 

SPECIAL   ROOMS 

There  are  a  number  of  special  rooms,  several 
of  which  should  have  place  in  every  progressive 
Sunday-school  building.  The  director  or  superin- 
tendent should  have  an  office  conveniently  situated 
with  reference  to  the  activities  of  the  school  and 
easily  accessible  to  the  public  on  week  days,  espe- 
cially when  the  director  is  a  salaried  official  and 
keeps  regular  hours.  The  teachers  should  have  a 
room  to  which  they  may  come  at  any  time  for 
study.  It  should  have  facilities  for  keeping  books; 
should  have  a  comfortable  table,  and  good  light  for 
reading.  It  should  be  large  enough  for  the  weekly 
or  monthly  meetings  of  the  teachers.  It  might 
profitably  be  en  suite  with  the  museum,  missionary, 


THE    CLASSROOM  39 

and  exhibit  room,  and  the  geography  room  to  which 
reference  is  now  made.  The  museum,  missionary, 
and  exhibit  room  serves  a  threefold  purpose,  for 
within  its  walls  should  be  brought  together  every 
object  that  will  help  to  illuminate  the  Bible, 
which  is  essentially  an  oriental  book,  objects 
which  will  help  the  pupils  of  the  school  to  under- 
stand the  activities  of  missionaries,  and  lastly  an 
exhibit  of  the  work  of  the  pupils  of  the  various 
grades.  The  knowledge  that  their  work,  if  of 
sufficiently  good  quality,  may  be  exhibited  will 
be  a  legitimate  incentive  to  many.  The  geography 
room  is  in  line  with  the  tendency  in  our  best 
schools  toward  departmental  methods  in  teaching 
a  difficult  subject.  This  room  will  be  equipped 
generously  with  the  best  maps,  topographical  maps, 
globe,  sand-trays,  work-table,  etc.,  and  will  be  in 
charge  of  an  expert  teacher  in  geography.  Classes 
of  various  grades,  especially  those  of  the  late 
Junior  and  early  Intermediate  ages,  will  receive 
in  this  room  the  special  geographical  instruction 
which  will  enable  them  to  pursue  their  regular 
courses  intelligently.  The  secretary  and  librarian 
should  have  good  rooms  with  convenient  facilities 
and  ample  cabinet  space  for  supplies.  In  the 
largest  schools  all  of  the  extra  supply  equipment 
may  well  be  kept  behind  a  counter,  which  will 
enable  the  secretary  and  librarian  to  meet  all  needs 
in  an  orderly  manner.  The  Mothers'  room, 


40    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

situated  close  to  the  Beginners  and  Primary  depart- 
ments, has  been  found  to  serve  a  good  purpose. 
This  room  can  be  made  of  additional  value  by 
equipping  it  as  a  classroom  in  child  life  for  the 
mothers  who  wish  to  be  near  their  children. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  CHURCH-HOUSE  AND  COMMUNITY 
SERVICE 

One  of  the  most  serious  problems  of  modern 
life  is  the  proper  use  of  leisure  time.  Many  of 
the  evils  of  city  life  are  caused  by  misdirected 
activities  of  the  hours  when  labor  or  school  does 
not  keep  young  people  occupied.  Boys  and 
girls  and  young  people  are  on  the  streets  and 
become  patrons  of  commercialized  amusements, 
most  of  which  are  superficial  and  give  distorted 
views  of  life.  The  motion-picture  show,  as  now 
conducted,  is  frequently  positively  harmful  and 
imparts  conceptions  of  life  at  serious  variance 
with  those  ideals  for  which  the  church  stands. 
The  stress  and  struggle  for  physical  stability  in 
young  people  requires  abundant  expression  of  the 
play  impulse.  In  our  modern  life  there  is  scant 
opportunity  for  this  expression.  The  national 
game  is  splendid  for  the  players,  but  the  effect 
is  not  permanently  good  for  the  thousands  of 
young  people  who  crowd  the  bleachers.  The 
influence  of  the  amusement  parks  in  our  large 
cities  is  almost  uniformly  harmful.  The  student 
of  conditions  discovers  a  generation  of  young 
people  who  are  giving  their  leisure  time  to  a  search 
41 


42    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

for  pleasure  which  often  proves  to  be  pleasure  of 
an  unwholesome  type.  This  search  takes  them 
far  from  the  church,  the  doors  of  which  are  fre- 
quently closed  during  six  days  of  the  week. 

There  is  developing  rapidly  in  our  churches  a 
desire  to  serve  the  community  at  the  point  of  need, 
whatever  that  may  be.  Developing  the  kingdom 
of  God  on  earth  is  becoming  a  dominant  motive 
rather  than  the  preparation  of  people  for  life  in 
another  world.  In  the  new  social  era  upon  which 
we  are  just  entering,  some  organization  should 
become  the  educative  influence  toward  higher  civic 
ideals.  Why  should  not  the  church  accomplish 
this  task  for  the  community  ?  Who  shall  provide 
a  center  for  social  and  recreational  activity  ?  Why 
not  open  the  church  buildings  and  put  them  to  use 
seven  days  in  the  week  instead  of  only  occasionally, 
as  in  so  many  cases  now  ?  The  great  play  impulse 
deeply  implanted  in  human  nature  should  not  be 
wholly  commercialized.  The  aesthetic  nature  of 
man  should  not  be  turned  over  entirely  to  grand 
opera. 

This  chapter  is  concerned  with  the  architectural 
needs  of  the  church  which  is  seeking  the  largest 
possible  service  to  the  community  of  which  it  is  a 
part.  Obviously  these  needs  will  vary  widely  and 
the  demands  upon  some  churches  will  be  much 
greater  than  upon  others.  As  long  as  boys  and 
girls  need  recreation  and  social  life  the  church  is 


COMMUNITY    SERVICE  43 

charged  with  the  duty  of  either  supplying  the 
opportunities  or  being  sure  that  other  community 
agencies  provide  wholesome  recreation.  There 
should  not  be  serious  duplication  of  agencies.  If 
a  Y.M.C.A.  provides  ample  opportunity  for  physi- 
cal exercise  and  play  it  would  be  better  for  the 
church  to  support  the  agency  already  established. 
It  will  be  better  to  censor  strictly  the  motion 
pictures  of  a  dozen  theaters,  if  the  proprietors  will 
submit  to  a  censorship,  than  to  provide  the  pictures 
for  a  comparatively  small  number  in  the  church- 
house. 

A  large  social  hall  and  gymnasium  combined 
will  be  found  of  great  service  to  the  community. 
Here  entertainments  and  musical  occasions  can 
serve  the  community  at  large.  The  play  instinct 
of  young  people  can  find  full  opportunity  for 
expression.  This  room  should  have  a  high  ceiling 
and  should  usually  have  a  gallery  for  spectators. 
The  room  should  not  be  stocked  with  a  full  assort- 
ment of  apparatus.  This  is  expensive  and  unneces- 
sary. Better  results  may  be  obtained  with  games 
which  excite  the  interest  of  the  boys  and  girls. 
The  room  should  be  as  large  as  possible  in  floor 
space,  up  to  50X80  feet  in  size.  A  stage  at  one 
end  will  give  opportunity  for  amateur  dramatics. 
At  the  other  end  a  fireproof  motion-picture 
operating-room  can  be  constructed.  Folding  chairs 
should  be  provided  for  audience  purposes.  Special 


44    THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

attention  should  be  paid  to  exits  from  this  large 
general  room.  They  should  be  ample  in  size,  not 
less  than  two  in  number,  preferably  four  if  it  is  a 
full-size  room,  and  stairs  should  be  as  few  as  pos- 
sible. Single  steps  in  halls  are  an  abomination  and 
should  be  avoided  absolutely.  Inclines  are  prefer- 
able, especially  when  large  numbers  of  people  use 
the  halls  for  entrance  and  exit  purposes. 

Where  the  opportunity  for  exercise  is  afforded 
it  is  essential  that  lockers  and  shower  baths  be 
provided  also.  And  in  this  day  of  the  "boy 
problem"  we  must  not  forget  to  provide  for  the 
girls  also. 

The  church-house  seeking  the  largest  service 
to  the  community  will  provide,  in  addition  to  enter- 
tainment and  gymnasium  features  such  as  have 
been  outlined  above,  rooms  for  reading  and  games, 
in  case  such  service  is  not  rendered  adequately 
by  the  community  library  or  other  agency.  It 
cannot  be  concluded  that  this  service  is  unnecessary 
because  there  is  a  public  library  or  a  Y.M.C.A. 
a  mile  or  two  away.  Perhaps  a  branch  ought  to 
be  located  in  the  church,  which  many  public 
libraries  are  very  willing  to  permit.  The  direc- 
tion of  children  and  youth  in  their  reading  is  one 
of  the  most  potent,  and  as  yet  neglected,  oppor- 
tunities for  character  development.  Rooms  should 
be  provided  for  the  club  life  of  the  boys  and  girls. 
The  clubs  under  skilled  direction  are  powerful 


COMMUNITY    SERVICE  45 

factors  in  the  creation  of  high  ideals.  These 
same  rooms  are,  of  course,  available  as  classrooms 
for  the  Sunday  school.  Attractive  parlors  for 
social  life,  with  convenient  kitchen  arrangements 
near  by,  are  also  valuable  for  the  largest  com- 
munity service.  Special  community  needs  often 
make  it  advisable  to  have  provision  for  billiards 
and  bowling  in  the  community  building.  Pro- 
vision for  bowling  should  be  in  the  basement  and 
should  be  so  located  that  the  noise  will  not  disturb 
other  activities.  Let  those  who  would  criticize 
sharply  the  provision  for  billiards  and  bowling  in 
the  church-house  ask  the  question  of  themselves, 
Are  buildings  more  "sacred"  than  boys? 

There  are  scores  of  church  buildings  today 
which  approximate  the  service  to  the  community 
described  above.  Plans  of  the  Winnetka  (Illinois) 
Congregational  Church  and  the  St.  Paul's  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
shown  in  later  chapters,  are  especially  good  illus- 
trations. Note  the  plans  offered  in  all  of  the 
later  chapters.  There  are  shown  here  (Figs.  7,  8, 
9)  the  three  floors  of  Plymouth  Center  Building, 
Oakland,  California.  In  a  very  few  years  this 
church  has  multiplied  its  membership  fivefold  and 
crowded  its  two  buildings  by  rendering  the  type  of 
service  indicated  above.  The  plans  largely  explain 
themselves.  In  the  basement  there  is  provision  for 
bowling,  a  men's  league  room,  several  clubrooms 


Men's  League  Room 

mn 


C/ufr  Room 


C/ub  Room 


£1 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  A.  W.  Palmer,  Oakland,  Col. 

FIG.  7. — Plymouth  Center,  Oakland,  Cal.     Basement 


f"~      &°y>s 


and 
atrte   Tfo  Orrt . 


on 


0/JCf 

Sc/?o0/  ffo0/rr. 


Room 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  A.  W  Palmer,  Oakland,  Cat. 

FIG.  8.— Plymouth  Center,  Oakland,  Cal.    Main  Floor 


Soc/o/    fta// 


of 

Gymnasium 


C/0SS 


C/oss 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  A.  W.  Palmer,  Oakland,  Col. 

FIG.  9. — Plymouth  Center,  Oakland,  Cal.    Second  Floor 


COMMUNITY    SERVICE  40 

for  boys,  ajid  showers  and  dressing-rooms.  The 
first  floor  provides  a  boys'  and  girls'  game-room, 
a  reading-room,  and  accommodations  for  pool 
tables.  The  use  of  this  building  is  scheduled  so 
that  girls  and  young  women  are  in  exclusive 
possession  at  stated  periods.  A  large  gymnasium 
and  Sunday-school  room  occupies  most  of  the  first 
floor.  Alcove  classrooms  are  provided  by  large 
doors  which  swing  out  from  the  side  walls.  During 
the  week  these  make  a  wainscoting  for  the  gym- 
nasium. This  is  not  an  ideal  arrangement  for 
classrooms,  as  an  earlier  chapter  has  indicated, 
but  at  least  eye-disturbances  are  avoided.  This 
room,  55X65  feet  in  size,  has  a  22-foot  ceiling,  thus 
making  an  ideal  play  gymnasium.  The  second- 
floor  plan  shows  a  gallery  for  spectators,  classrooms, 
a  study  for  the  pastor,  and  a  social  hall  with  adja- 
cent kitchen.  This  plant  is  separate  from  the 
church  building  proper,  and  cost  $25,000.  The 
response  of  the  community  has  been  such  that 
already  it  is  overcrowded. 

While  providing  for  the  week-day  activities 
of  the  church  this  building  lends  itself  well  to 
the  Sunday-school  class  work.  Every  portion  of 
the  building  is  occupied  with  Sunday-school 
departments  and  classes.  In  a  short  time  the 
Sunday  school  has  grown  to  about  six  hundred 
members.  The  Junior  Department  occupies  the 
gymnasium;  the  Girls'  High-School  Department, 


50     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

the  reading-room;  the  Boys'  High-School  Depart- 
ment, the  men's  league  room  and  adjacent  class- 
rooms; the  Primary  Department,  the  social  hall. 
Our  churches  are  increasingly  providing  for  this 
larger  service  to  the  community.  It  will  be  well 
for  all  building  committees  to  consider  carefully 
the  rich  opportunities  in  this  direction. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TEE  VILLAGE  AND  COUNTRY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
BUILDING 

Much  is  being  written  on  the  rural  problem  at 
the  present  moment.  There  is  not  space  here 
to  discuss  all  of  the  problems  which  have  been 
shown  to  be  present  in  our  village  and  rural  situa- 
tion. When  the  investigations  have  been  com- 
pleted it  will  be  found,  no  doubt,  that  men  and 
women,  boys  and  girls  are  essentially  the  same, 
whether  they  live  in  the  crowded  city  or  in  the 
small  village  or  in  the  open  country.  Their  desire 
to  worship,  their  need  of  knowledge  of  the  Bible, 
their  need  of  social  and  recreational  activity  will 
be  found  to  be  similar  to  that  of  their  city  cousins. 
The  country  church  will  seek  to  develop  its  possi- 
bilities to  supply  that  which  the  community  needs 
for  its  larger  life.  At  the  present  time  the  average 
village  and  country  church  building  consists  of 
one  or  two  rooms.  Chap,  xii  will  suggest  some 
ways  by  which  these  buildings  may  be  improved. 
This  chapter  seeks  to  give  some  suggestions  to  the 
village  or  country  church  which  is  about  to  con- 
struct a  new  building. 

WESTERN  (NEBRASKA)  BAPTIST  CHURCH 
The  ideals  suggested  in  the  preceding  chapters 
are  not  entirely  impossible  for  the  village  or  country 
51 


52    THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

church.  Not  everything  mentioned  is  required 
for  the  smaller  group  of  people  to  which  such  a 
church  ministers.  Fig.  10  gives  the  floor  plans  of 
the  Western  (Nebraska)  Baptist  Church,  altered 
by  the  courtesy  of  the  architect  to  approximate 
the  needs  of  the  graded  lessons.  An  examina- 
tion of  this  plan  will  show  that  separate  depart- 
mental sessions  will  be  possible  for  Beginners 
and  Primary,  Junior,  Intermediate,  Senior  and 
Adult.  For  a  school  of  approximately  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pupils  separate  classrooms  will  be 
provided  for  all  of  the  classes  of  the  Junior  and 
Intermediate  departments  on  the  basis  of  com- 
bining two  grades  in  one  class  in  each  case. 
This  is  more  desirable  than  attempting  a  full- 
graded  plan  with  only  four  or  five  at  most  in  a 
class.  The  auditorium  is  lighted  from  above 
when  classrooms  at  the  sides  are  closed.  The 
Primary  Department  would  have  an  excellent 
room  in  the  chapel.  Senior  and  Adult  classes 
could  meet  in  the  corners  of  the  auditorium, 
which  could  be  used  for  the  worship  service  of 
the  whole  school  from  the  Junior  Department 
up.  The  chapel  room  would  be  found  excellent 
for  the  social  life.  The  number  of  classrooms 
could  be  doubled  by  building  a  second  story  of 
them  on  each  side  with  stairways  from  the  vesti- 
bules. A  basement  floor  would  give  added  facili- 
ties for  social  and  recreational  activities,  adding 


THE    VILLAGE    BUILDING 


53 


54    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

however,  considerably  to  the  expense  of  the  build- 
ing. This  church  can  be  built  for  a  modest  sum, 
varying  with  the  material  used  and  the  place  of 
construction.  An  inquiry  to  the  architect  will 
give  the  information  desired. 

TEMPLE  CHURCH,  MINNEAPOLIS 

Fig.  ii  illustrates  another  type  of  medium-cost 
church  which  provides  an  equipment  that  will 
relate  itself  very  well  to  the  demands  of  the  graded 
lessons  and  social  work.  Note  on  the  ground  floor 
the  departmental  rooms  for  the  Primary  and 
Junior  departments.  What  is  denominated  "  Sun- 
day School  Room"  in  the  plan  serves  for  general 
assembly  of  the  Intermediate,  Senior,  and  Adult 
departments.  Ten  classrooms  aid  in  providing 
quiet  for  the  lesson  hour.  Glass  doors  in  the  class- 
rooms admit  light  to  the  assembly  room.  Curtains 
or  flexible  doors  would  divide  the  main  room 
effectively  at  the  line  of  posts.  The  gymnasium, 
on  the  floor  above  the  "Junior  Room,"  provides 
excellent  floor  space  for  play  and  entertainment. 
The  main  auditorium  provides  ideal  assembly  for 
worship  should  the  ground  floor  be  needed  for 
additional  classrooms  or  departmental  space.  In 
a  building  of  this  type,  which,  by  the  way,  has  a 
pleasing  exterior,  there  is  possible  every  provision 
for  social  life  for  young  people.  A  gymnasium  is 
planned  at  the  rear  of  the  auditorium  floor  above 


THE    VILLAGE    BUILDING 


55 


56     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

the  "Junior  Sunday  School  Room."  The  graded 
school  will  find  reasonably  adequate  accommoda- 
tions and  good  opportunity  for  departmental 
organization  and  sessions,  five  rooms  being  avail- 
able for  this  purpose.  This  building  is  considerably 
more  expensive  to  construct  than  the  preceding, 
but  is  within  the  means  of  many  churches  in  the 
country  centers. 

CANADIAN  COMMISSION  PLAN 

Figs.  12,  13,  14  reproduce  a  plan  offered  in 
the  "Report  of  the  Commission  on  Religious  Edu- 
cation" to  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly.  The  plans  are  for  a  building  to  care 
for  about  one  hundred  pupils.  The  longitudinal 
section  (Fig.  12)  is  suggestive  in  that  it  shows 
that  the  class  or  departmental  rooms  are  entirely 
above  ground.  The  Beginners,  Primary,  and  Jun- 
ior rooms  may  be  thrown  together  for  worship. 
This  room  makes  a  desirable  chapel  for  other 
church  purposes.  The  Intermediate  and  Senior 
young  people  have  two  excellent  departmental 
rooms  which,  by  means  of  partitions,  may  be  made 
into  four  good  classrooms.  The  auditorium  is 
available  for  worship,  which  in  a  small  school  will 
include  all  from  the  Junior  age  up.  A  recreation 
and  social  room  of  generous  size  and  high  ceiling 
provides  admirable  facilities  for  play  and  social 
life  (Fig.  13).  There  is  much  that  is  valuable  in 


PL, 

I 

.a 

a 
s 

o 

U 


73 

Y 


58    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


SUNDAY 

ENJP-AWCE 


Sharp  &•  Brown,  Architects,  Toronto,  Canada 

FIG.  13. — Canadian  Commission  Plan.     Ground-Floor 


THE   VILLAGE   BUILDING 


59 


5/;ar/>  &•  Brown,  Architects,  Toronto,  Canada 
FIG.  14. — Canadian  Commission  Plan.    Main  Floor 


60     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

this  plan.  The  author  ventures  the  suggestion 
that  with  the  use  of  the  auditorium  for  worship, 
four  plastered  classrooms  with  separate  entrances 
would  add  to  classroom  efficiency. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  SUBURBAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 

The  "suburban"  church  problem  is  recognized 
as  a  peculiar  type.  But  when  it  is  approached 
from  the  standpoint  of  community  service  it  does 
not  possess  the  hopelessness  which  seems  to  envelop 
the  church  of  conventional  type.  It  is  possible 
to  develop  a  community  spirit  in  a  suburban  situa- 
tion which  cannot  be  accomplished  in  a  section  of 
a  large  city.  Hence  a  church  which  intelligently 
seeks  to  serve  its  community  will  get  a  response 
that  will  be  gratifying.  The  nearness  of  the  city 
demands  that  special  attention  in  many  cases  be 
given  to  the  problem  of  recreation  and  amusement. 
The  near-by  city  makes  it  possible  to  bring  fine 
talent  for  aesthetic  development  to  the  suburb. 
Lecturers  on  civic  topics  are  readily  obtainable. 
Indeed,  the  leaders  hi  the  city  often  live  in  the 
suburbs.  Opportunities  for  social  service  are 
abundant  in  the  city  so  easily  reached  by  conven- 
ient transportation.  The  problem  of  the  suburban 
church  is  not  insoluble.  There  are  presented  below 
the  plans  of  buildings  in  two  suburbs  of  Chicago 
which  will  prove  suggestive  and  in  many  cases 
revolutionary. 

61 


62     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 
OAK  PARK  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

Figs.  15  and  16 

This  plan  will  illustrate  two  things:  the  response 
of  this  church  to  the  Oak  Park  suburban  situation 


Patlon,  Holmes  &•  Flinn,  Architects,  Chicago 

FIG.    15. — First    Congregational    Church,   Oak    Park,   111. 
Ground-Floor 


THE    SUBURBAN   BUILDING        63 

and  also  the  possibilities  of  remodeling  an  old  build- 
ing. The  ground-floor  plan  shows  the  assembly 
room  of  the  school  for  the  Intermediate,  Senior,  and 
Adult  classes.  Each  group  of  five  classrooms  is 
separable  from  the  main  assembly  room  by  heavy 
curtains.  This  makes  possible,  for  example,  a 
Boys'  and  a  Girls'  department.  The  adult  classes 
adjourn  to  the  dining-room  and  parlor  of  the 


Pallon,  Holmes  &•  Flinn,  Architects,  Chicago 

FIG.  16. — First  Congregational  Church-House,  Oak  Park,  111. 

"Church-House,"  as  they  call  their  newly  con- 
structed addition  to  their  main  building.  The 
dining-room  may  be  divided  by  rolling  partitions 
when  necessary  into  four  or  six  classrooms.  The 
second  floor  provides  a  generous-sized  pastor's 
study  which  is  also  used  as  a  popular  adult  class- 
room. The  Primary  Department  has  a  large, 
cheery  room,  and  the  Junior  or  Elementary 


64     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

Department  has  a  general  assembly  and  adjacent 
classrooms.  Contrary  to  general  usage,  the  entire 
third  floor  is  planned  as  a  play  gymnasium.  At 
present  it  is  unfinished,  but  is  available  for  this 
purpose  or  for  additional  classrooms  whenever 
needed.  There  is  a  large  clubroom  in  the  base- 
ment, the  plan  of  which  is  not  shown  here.  A 
large  gymnasium  under  very  competent  manage- 
ment is  open  to  the  young  people  of  the  church  in 
a  near-by  high-school  building,  hence  that  feature 
is  not  at  present  developed  in  the  church.  It  will 
be  seen  that  the  "Church-House"  lends  itself 
admirably  to  social  life,  for  the  young  people  and 
for  the  entire  parish.  This  plan  will  repay  careful 
study,  especially  of  its  provisions  for  social  life. 

WINNETKA  (ILL.)  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

One  of  the  most  complete  plants  for  a  sub- 
urban church  in  the  United  States  is  that  of  the 
Winnetka  Congregational  Church  (Figs.  4,  17, 
and  18).  Ideally  situated  in  natural  woods,  with 
grounds  skilfully  handled  by  the  landscape  gar- 
dener, the  approach  is  all  that  could  be  desired. 
Winnetka  is  a  suburb  17  miles  from  Chicago  and 
has  a  population  of  about  four  thousand  people.  A 
few  years  ago  the  church  was  only  a  small  wooden 
structure,  unattractive  in  character.  Under  the 
skilled  direction  of  a  man  with  a  vision,  a  stone 
church  was  constructed  which  everyone  thought 


THE   SUBURBAN   BUILDING        65 

would  be  adequate  for  a  generation.  The  splendid 
graded  school  within  two  years  overcrowded  the 
new  building  and  for  a  time  was  compelled  to  meet 
in  two  separate  sessions.  The  people  of  Winnetka 
were  pleased  with  the  work  of  the  church  and 
responded  generously  to  a  second  appeal,  giving 
over  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  all  for  the 
church  and  "Community  House."  (The  plans  of 
the  Community  House  only  are  shown  here,  Figs. 
17  and  1 8.)  Part  of  the  work  of  the  church  school 
is  done  in  the  other  portion  of  the  church  building, 
which  is  not  shown  here. 

An  excellent  room  is  available  on  the  ground 
floor  (Fig.  17)  for  the  Primary  Department.  A 
modern  kitchen  supplies  convenient  service  to  any 
portion  of  the  first  floor.  Fully  appointed  club- 
rooms  are  open  for  men  all  day  and  evening.  The 
large  gymnasium  with  high  ceiling  affords  an  ideal 
floor  which  is  busy  morning  and  afternoon  all  the 
week,  with  classes  for  men,  women,  boys,  girls, 
and  young  people.  A  stage  gives  opportunity  for 
amateur  entertainments.  This  room  is  used  two 
or  three  times  a  week  for  motion  pictures.  The 
seating  capacity  of  seven  hundred  is  frequently 
taxed  by  the  people  of  Winnetka.  Only  the  high- 
est grade  of  films,  locally  censored,  is  ever  allowed. 
So  successful  is  this  feature  of  the  work  of  Com- 
munity House  that  no  commercial  motion-picture 
theater  has  located  in  Winnetka.  Community 


66     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

House  is  a  real  center  for  the  people  of  this  little 
suburban  city. 

The  second-floor  plan  (Fig.  18)  shows  ten  club- 
rooms  which  are  occupied  week-day  afternoons 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  J.  W.  F.  Davies,  Winnetka,  III. 

FIG.  17. — Winnetka  (111.)  Community  House.    First  Floor 

and  evenings  by  the  boys  and  young  men,  and  on 
scheduled  occasions  by  the  girls  and  young  women. 
These  rooms  are  used  for  class  work  on  Sunday. 


THE   SUBURBAN   BUILDING 


67 


The  basement  plan,  not  shown  here,  has  ample 
facilities  for  private  shower  baths  and  locker-room 
and  additional  play  space  that  some  day  may  be 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  J.  W.  F.  Dames,  Winnetka,  III. 

FIG.  18. — Winnetka  (111.)  Community  House.    Second  Floor 

used  as  bowling  alleys.  In  the  height  of  the  winter 
season  the  weekly  attendance  at  this  busy  com- 
munity center  exceeds  two  thousand.  Here  is  a 
church  which  believes  in  serving  every  need  of  the 


68     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

community.  Its  buildings  have  become  a  center 
of  local  activity.  The  two  ministers  are  busy  men 
in  the  large  service  that  they  are  rendering.  The 
story  of  Winnetka  Church  is  an  inspiration  to 
anyone  who  learns  of  its  high  degree  of  efficiency 
and  its  extended  service  in  manifold  ways  to  the 
entire  community. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  CITY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 

More  large  graded  Sunday  schools  will  be  found 
in  our  cities,  and  the  requirements  will  call  gener- 
ally for  larger  and  more  complicated  buildings. 
In  this  chapter  plans  will  be  shown  that  seek 
primarily  efficiency  for  Sunday-school  instruction. 
In  the  next  chapter  plans  of  buildings  will  be 
shown  which  also  include  facilities  for  community 
service.  Probably  no  one  building  plan  will  be 
found  suitable  to  the  needs  of  any  given  com- 
munity. These  plans  reflect  the  efforts  of  building 
committees  and  architects  to  meet  the  peculiar 
needs  of  special  communities.  Their  value  to  the 
reader  lies  in  their  suggestiveness.  The  ideal 
building  in  any  community  involves  consultation 
with  skilled  architects.  The  individual  needs  will 
find  expression  in  architectural  forms,  perhaps 
allied  to  some  one  of  these  plans,  or  possibly 
initiating  a  partially  new  type.  The  ten  plans 
offered  in  these  two  chapters  represent  the 
very  latest  efforts  of  the  best  architects  of 
this  country.  The  careful  study  of  these  plans 
cannot  fail  to  bring  suggestions  to  the  building 
committee. 

6Q 


70     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

SOUTH  BEND  (INDIANA)  METHODIST  CHURCH 

The  plan  of  the  South  Bend  Methodist  Church 
(Figs.  19  and  20)  has  some  suggestions  for  those 
who 'wish  to  have  an  auxiliary  auditorium  for  the 
Sunday  school,  rather  than  to  use  the  church 
auditorium.  Note  the  effective  separation  of  the 
Beginners  and  Primary  departments  from  the 
main  Sunday-school  room.  Provision  is  afforded 
for  sex  separation  in  both  the  Junior  and  the  Inter- 
mediate departments.  This  school  is  planned  for 
a  worship  assembly  of  all  from  the  Junior  age  up- 
ward, Primary  and  Beginners  departments  meet- 
ing separately.  The  basement  plan,  not  shown 
here,  includes  a  large  room  for  dining  and  enter- 
tainment purposes. 

SOME   KRAMER   PLANS 

Mr.  George  W.  Kramer,  of  New  York  City,  has 
perhaps  planned  more  churches  and  Sunday- 
school  buildings  than  any  other  living  architect. 
His  latest  work  is  therefore  worthy  of  careful  con- 
sideration. Mr.  Kramer  has  always  been  an 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Akron  plan  and  did 
much  to  develop  it  during  the  years  of  the  Inter- 
national Uniform  Lesson  ascendance.  He  also 
shows  in  all  of  his  work  the  thought  of  "  together- 
ness" referred  to  in  the  paragraph  on  the  Akron 
plan.  By  the  courtesy  of  this  busy  man  we  are 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


72     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


73 


enabled  to  examine  three  of  his  latest  plans,  in  all 
of  which  he  had  in  mind  the  graded-lesson  system. 


G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 

FIG.  21. — Norfolk  (Va.)  Christian  Church.     First  Floor 

Plan  "A"  (Figs.  21,  22)  is  a  complete  Sunday- 
school  building  for  the  First  Christian  Church, 
Norfolk,  Virginia,  planned  for  800  to  1,000  pupils. 


74    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 


The  grade  notations  do  not  follow  the  Inter- 
national plan,  which  does  not  give  a  grade  number 
to  the  Beginners.  The  departments  are  well 


MISSION  CLASS. 


G.  W.  Kranxr,  Architect,  New  York 

FIG.  22. — Norfolk  (Va.)  Christian  Church.    Mezzanine  Floor 

segregated,  and  provision  is  made  for  general 
assembly  in  what  is  now  the  auditorium  of  the 
church.  Note  the  sex  segregation  in  the  Senior 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  75 

Department  classrooms  which  are  installed  under 
a  deep  balcony.  Additional  classrooms  are  pro- 
vided adjacent  to  the  Primary  Department  which 
is  on  the  second  floor.  The  third-floor  plan,  not 
printed  herewith,  shows  the  deep  gallery  and  two 
large  rooms  for  classes  or  social  life. 

Plan  "B"  (Figs.  23,  24,  25)  was  made  by 
Mr.  Kramer  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South,  of  Conway,  Arkansas,  and  is  regarded  by 
him  as  "one  of  the  best  types  of  arrangement 
for  departmental  schools."  The  plan  combines 
all  in  two  groups  for  worship,  segregates  the 
Beginners  Department,  arranges  for  assembly  of 
Junior  and  Primary  departments  if  desired,  and 
provides  for  separation  of  both  grades  and  sexes 
in  the  Intermediate  and  Senior  departments.  The 
diagonal  lines  between  departments  indicate  sound- 
proof movable  doors.  The  whole  school  can  be 
thrown ,  together  into  two  sections  in  a  moment 
by  raising  these  doors.  The  Akron  plan  is  used 
to  provide  classrooms  in  some  of  the  departments. 
In  this  plan  entrance  to  all  the  classrooms  is 
from  an  outer  passage  which  is  also'  an  insulation 
against  outer  noises  and  heat  but  at  the  same 
time  provides  ample  light  and  ventilation.  Note 
in  all  of  Mr.  Kramer's  plans  the  adequate 
provision  he  makes  for  easy  passage  from 
department  to  department,  and  for  convenient 
exits. 


76     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

Plan  "C"  (Figs.  26,  27,  28)  is  the  Jefferson 
Street  Church  of  Christ,  Buffalo,  New  York. 
The  basement  of  this  church  provides  large  rooms 


G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 

FIG.  23.— Plan  "B."    First  Floor 

for  the  Beginners  and  Primary-  departments  en 
suite,  but  separable  when  desired  by  rolling  par- 
titions. A  gymnasium  with  separate  locker-rooms 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


77 


for  boys,  men,  and  girls  occupies  a  large  portion 
of  the  space  in  this  high,  well-lighted  basement. 
The  parlors  are  available  for  classroom  purposes. 
The  main  floor  provides  separate  classrooms  and 


G.  W .  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 

FIG.  24.— Plan  "B."     Second  Floor 

department  rooms  for  Intermediate  and  Senior 
boys  and  girls.  The  Junior  boys  and  girls  occupy 
the  floor  space  in  the  center,  not  an  ideal  arrange- 
ment for  this  important  department.  The  second 


78     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

floor  provides  excellent  classrooms  for  organized 
classes.  This  plan  will  be  attractive  to  those  who 
wish  to  gather  the  entire  school  above  the  Primary 
Department  into  one  worship  session. 


PASSAGC. 


G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 

FIG.  25.— Plan  "B."    Third  Floor 

SAN  DIEGO  (CALIFORNIA)  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

This  new  church  (Figs.  29,  30,  31),  recently 
completed  at  a  cost  of  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  presents  some  helpful  suggestions. 
Fig.  29  shows  the  basement  floor,  well  lighted.  The 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


79 


G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 
FIG.  26.— Jefferson  Street  (Buffalo,  N.Y.)  Church  of  Christ 


8o     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


MAIM    FI.OCW    Pi_/»  i 
G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 


FIG.  27.— Jefierson  Street  (Buffalo.  N.Y.)  Church  of  Christ 


THE    CITY   BUILDING 


81 


SECOND   n_oop  PLAIM 
G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York  City 


FIG.  28.— Jefferson'street  (Buffalo,  N.Y.)  Church  of  Christ 


82    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BUILDING 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


84     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  85 

Beginners  and  Primary  departments  have  large 
separate  rooms  which  may  be  united  by  opening 
rolling  partitions  between.  A  near-by  toilet  is 
convenient  to  this  department.  Across  a  wide 
hall,  that  acts  as  an  effective  barrier  to  noise,  is  a 
roomy  Junior  Department.  This  is  broken  up 
into  classrooms  by  large,  heavy,  movable,  partition 
screens,  planned  with  a  broad  footing  especially 
for  this  purpose.  The  social  hall  and  dining-room 
is  planned  for  all  social  occasions.  A  fireproof 
motion-picture  equipment  is  built  into  this  room. 
A  special  feature,  worthy  of  praise,  is  the  "  teachers' 
meeting-hall,"  adjacent  to  the  kitchen.  The 
supper  hour  is  proving  to  be  an  excellent  time 
for  the  teachers'  meeting.  On  the  main  floor  is 
the  auditorium  and  the  Intermediate  and  Senior 
departments.  The  latter  is  provided  with  class- 
rooms, both  on  the  main  floor  and  in  the  balcony. 
In  addition  there  are  several  large  rooms  for 
organized  classes  and  social  life.  The  building 
is  one  of  the  best  of  the  type  that  requires  a  com- 
bination auditorium  for  church  and  Sunday  school. 
The  next  chapter  will  present  other  plans  for 
city  churches  in  which  special  provision  is  made 
for  community  service. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    CITY    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING,    WITH 

SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO. COMMUNITY 

SERVICE 

The  object  of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  aid  the 
pupils  to  achieve  a  Christlike  character  which  will 
relate  itself  to  the  well-being  of  the  race.  The 
modern  city  has  multiplied  the  influences  against 
the  highest  type  of  character  to  such  a  degree  that 
the  church  must  broaden  her  efforts  to  save  boys 
and  girls  to  the  higher  life.  It  is  not  sufficient 
to  plant  the  Christ  ideal  at  the  psychological 
moment;  it  is  necessary  also  to  supply  as  far  as 
possible  the  wholesome  environment  in  which  the 
Christ  ideal  may  develop  to  its  full  normal  maturity 
in  a  strong  life  characterized  by  self-control  and 
achievement  of  the  highest  and  the  best  the  race 
knows.  It  is  not  enough  to  have  an  hour's  ses- 
sion Sunday  mornings,  no  matter  how  efficiently 
the  instruction  is  given.  The  challenge  that 
comes  to  our  city  Sunday  schools  today  is  a  far 
larger  one.  Wherever  there  is  a  lack  in  the  environ- 
ment of  our  youth  it  is  the  opportunity  and  duty 
of  the  agencies  of  religious  education  to  see  that  the 
need  is  met.  The  leisure  hours  of  boys  and  girls 
are  most  prolific  for  good  or  evil.  Voluntary 
86 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  87 

interests  have  largest  play  in  these  hours.  The 
church  which  seeks  to  direct  the  leisure  time  of  her 
youth  is  in  line  with  the  best  thought  for  character 
development.  The  more  the  youth's  interests 
are  centered  in  the  church  building,  the  more  cer- 
tainly may  the  youth  be  won  for  Christ  and  for 
life's  highest  ideals.  The  plans  which  follow 
emphasize  in  a  special  degree  the  conception  of  a 
church  building  put  to  the  largest  use  in  the  great 
task  of  developing  a  kingdom  of  righteousness 
among  our  young  people. 

CANADIAN  COMMISSION   PLAN 

The  plans  for  this  building  (Figs.  32,  33,  34,  35) 
are  for  a  school  of  a  membership  of  two  to  five 
hundred  pupils,  exclusive  of  adults.  The  audi- 
torium of  the  church  may  be  used  for  the  worship 
of  Intermediate,  Senior,  and  Adult  departments. 
Adult  classes  will  remain  in  the  auditorium  for  the 
study  hour  while  the  Intermediate  and  Senior 
classes  retire  to  second-floor  classrooms  adjacent 
to  the  church  gallery.  In  both  of  these  depart- 
ments separate  rooms  are  provided  for  girls  and 
boys.  Within  each  of  these  rooms  provision  is 
made  for  separation  into  class  groups  by  means 
of  rolling  partitions.  The  inner  classrooms  have 
overhead  light  and  ventilation.  Young  men  and 
young  women  have  excellent  rooms  provided  for 
their  class  sessions  and  other  activities.  The 


THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


THE    CITY   BUILDING 


89 


CYMN 
SO 


MALL 
HQOM 


5/ia>-/>  &•  Brown,  Architects,  Toronto,  Canada 

FIG.  33. — Canadian  Commission  Plan.     Basement 


90    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


Sharp  &•  Brown,  Architects,  Toronto,  Canada 

FIG.  34. — Canadian  Commission  Plan.     Main  Floor 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


Sharp  &  Brown,  Architects,  Toronto,  Canada 

FIG.  35. — Canadian  Commission  Plan.     Second  Floor 


92     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

ground-floor  plan  (Fig.  34)  shows  ample  provision 
for  Beginners  and  Primary  departments,  which  may 
be  thrown  together  on  occasion.  Separate  class- 
rooms also  are  planned  by  means  of  curtains  or 
rolling  partitions.  Across  a  corridor,  which  effect- 
ively breaks  disturbance  by  sound,  is  a  Junior 
Department.  Separate  assembly  is  possible,  and 
usually  is  desirable.  There  is  also  easy  access  to 
the  auditorium  of  the  church.  Each  grade  can  be 
segregated  for  instruction  by  rolling  partitions. 
Note  the  excellent  provision  for  wraps  on  both 
floors,  also  the  lavatories  for  both  Primary  and 
Junior  children.  The  basement-floor  plan  (Fig.  33) 
shows  a  good  assembly  hall  and  gymnasium,  50X72 
feet  in  size,  with  a  1 5-foot  ceiling.  Separate  rooms 
are  provided  for  club  life  for  boys,  men,  and  girls. 
Separate  locker-rooms  adjoin  each  of  these  club- 
rooms.  A  bowling  alley  and  swimming  tank  com- 
plete the  equipment  of  this  well-planned  floor  for 
community  service. 

ROCHESTER  (NEW  YORK)  BRICK  CHURCH  INSTITUTE 

Figs.  36,  37,  and  38  reproduce  the  floor  plans  of 
a  building  adapted  to  a  specialized  form  of  com- 
munity service  which  is  greatly  to  be  commended. 
The  plans,  as  a  whole,  are  those  of  a  high-grade 
city  Y.M.C.A.  building.  The  basement  (Fig.  36) 
contains  a  standard  gymnasium,  four  bowling 
alleys,  showers  and  plunge  with  lockers  for  men, 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


93 


Courtesy  of  Rev  Herbert  W.  Gates,  Rochester,  N.Y. 
FIG.  36. — Brick  Church  Institute,  Rochester,  N.Y.     Basement 


94     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL    BUILDING 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  Herbert  W.  Gates 
FIG.  37.— Brick  Church  Institute,  Rochester,  N.Y.    First  Floor 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


95 


Courtesy  of  Rev.  Herbert  W.  Gates 
FIG.  38. — Brick  Church  Institute,  Rochester,  N.Y.    Second  Floor 


g6     THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

and  separate  playroom  with  lockers  for  boys. 
The  first  floor  (Fig.  37)  has  a  generous  lobby, 
parlor,  dining-room,  and  kitchen.  These  latter 
facilities  are  quite  effective  in  work  for  young  men. 
The  second  floor  provides  for  the  varied  interests 
of  work  with  and  for  young  men  and  boys.  The 
plan  (Fig.  38)  will  explain  itself.  The  entire  third 
floor,  not  shown  here,  is  a  dormitory  providing 
numerous  bedrooms  for  young  men.  The  adapta- 
bility of  this  building  to  the  religious  education 
of  boys  and  young  men  will  be  apparent  without 
detailed  description.  Assembly  rooms  and  class- 
rooms are  available  for  every  need.  Most  of  the 
Sunday  school  of  this  church  is  cared  for  in  the 
church  building  adjacent.  This  plan  is  shown  to 
illustrate  a  form  of  specialized  community  service 
of  the  highest  value.  Let  any  church  ask  itself 
whether  the  young  men  of  the  city  need  a  home 
and  a  club  under  church  influences. 

THE   CLEVELAND   PLAN 

A  plan  has  been  prepared  by  a  firm  of  Cleveland 
architects  which  has  many  excellent  features.  We 
regret  that  suitable  arrangements  could  not  be  made 
to  exhibit  it  in  this  book.  It  will  be  described, 
however,  and  anyone  with  a  good  imagination  can 
reproduce  the  plan  with  pencil  and  paper.  The 
building  is  rectangular  and  provides  one  audito- 
rium for  Sunday-school  and  church  worship  on  the 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  97 

ground  floor.  Provision  is  made  for  departments 
and  classrooms  at  the  rear  of  the  pulpit  platform. 
The  Junior  Department  is  on  the  ground  floor 
and  is  divisible  into  eight  classrooms  by  accordion 
doors.  Each  classroom  has  a  separate  entrance 
to  the  wide  corridor.  The  auditorium-balcony 
plan  provides  for  two  departmental  rooms  for 
Senior  and  Adult  classes,  each  of  which  may  be 
divided  into  four  classrooms  with  separate  hall 
entrances.  Two  larger  classrooms  adjacent  to  the 
balcony  of  the  church  auditorium  are  provided. 
The  basement  has  both  a  floor  and  a  balcony  plan. 
The  floor  plan  shows  a  gymnasium  and  entertain- 
ment hall,  with  Beginners  and  Primary  depart- 
ments opening  from  either  side  by  accordion  doors. 
At  one  end  of  the  gymnasium  is  a  platform  and  at 
the  other  are  showers  and  lockers  situated  under  a 
roomy  balcony.  A  full-sized  bowling  alley,  with 
seats  for  spectators,  occupies  the  space  under  the 
tier  of  classrooms  described  above.  The  basement- 
balcony  plan  provides  for  an  Intermediate  Depart- 
ment above  the  bowling  alley,  separable  into  eight 
classrooms,  each  of  which  opens  into  a  long  corridor. 
The  method  of  providing  departmental  rooms 
separable  into  classrooms  by  accordion  doors  has 
been  in  use  for  several  years.  The  Long  Beach 
(California)  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
Norman  F.  Marsh,  of  Los  Angeles,  is  the  archi- 
tect, plans  its  Junior  Department  in  precisely  this 


gS     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    BUILDING 

manner.  The  use  of  accordion  doors  for  the  separa- 
tion of  classes  cannot,  however,  be  regarded  as 
ideal,  as  our  earlier  discussion  has  pointed  out. 
The  ideal  plan  should  show  a  larger  number  of 
plastered  classrooms.  This  could  be  accomplished, 
with  slight  change  in  this  plan,  by  making  half 
of  all  classroom  partitions  permanent.  Depart- 
mental assembly  is  secondary  to  classroom  effi- 
ciency. Many  would  object  to  the  placing  of 
the  Beginners  and  Primary  departments  in  the 
basement,  but  this  is  a  detail  of  arrangement  easily 
changed  by  shifting  adult  or  young  people's  classes 
to  the  less  desirable  rooms.  The  type  of  plan 
described  above  in  which  the  church  auditorium  is 
used  for  Sunday-school  worship  is  sure  to  be  used 
largely  in  coming  years.  This  will  be  illustrated 
in  the  next  section  by  the  plan  which  is,  to  the 
present  time,  nearest  the  ideal. 

THE   CEDAR   RAPIDS   PLAN 

Several  years  ago  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  facing  the 
necessity  of  a  new  building,  made  a  special  in- 
vestigation of  church  buildings  available  at  that 
time,  and  conducted  a  wide  correspondence  with 
Sunday-school  experts  and  architects.  Many 
architects  were  invited  to  participate  in  the 
competition.  Much  detailed  information  obtained 
from  many  sources  was  sent  to  each  contestant. 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  99 

The  competition  was  won  by  Mr.  Louis  H.  Sulli- 
van, of  Chicago,  one  of  America's  leading  archi- 
tects. The  building  was  not  constructed  by  Mr. 
Sullivan,  but  the  floor  plans,  substantially  as  pre- 
pared by  him,  were  used  by  the  church,  the 
exterior  being  changed. 

This  plan  (Figs.  39,  40,  41)  is  presented  last 
because  it  is  regarded  by  many,  including  the 
author,  as  probably  the  most  significant  contri- 
bution to  the  architecture  of  the  modern  Sunday 
school  made  to  the  present  time.  It  is  worthy  of 
the  most  careful  study  by  any  prospective  church 
builders.  It  was  born  of  a  desire  to  make  more 
adequate  provision  for  the  ages  when  youths  most 
rapidly  leave  the  church.  With  the  exception  of 
the  Beginners  and  the  Primary  and  perhaps  the 
Junior  departments,  worship  for  all  is  planned  in 
the  church  auditorium.  Separate  plastered  class- 
rooms are  provided  for  every  class  in  the  school 
except  in  the  Junior  Department,  where  removable 
partitions  are  used.  The  classrooms  correspond 
to  the  ideal  outlined  in  chap.  vi.  Unusually  wide 
corridors  provide  for  social  life,  and  for  the  delay 
which  may  occur  when  the  Sunday-school  and 
church  services  approach  one  another.  A  beau- 
tiful chapel  provides  for  devotional  meetings 
and  for  departmental  assembly.  An  assembly 
room  with  stage,  in  the  basement,  is  available  for 
entertainments.  A  gymnasium,  with  gallery  for 


loo    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


tj 

€ 

i- 

u 

I 

I 


8  I 


THE    CITY    BUILDING 


101 


102     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 


THE    CITY    BUILDING  103 

seventy-five  spectators,  provides  for  the  play  life 
of  the  youth.  This  plan  promises  to  influence 
future  Sunday-school  construction  in  a  marked 
degree.  Its  enthusiastic  supporters  call  it  the 
"Cedar  Rapids  plan,"  and  predict  that  it  will 
have  the  vogue  in  the  next  quarter-century  which 
the  Akron  plan  has  enjoyed  in  the  last  twenty-five 
years. 


CHAPTER  XII 
REMODELING  OLD  CHURCH  BUILDINGS 

It  frequently  occurs  in  the  history  of  a  growing 
church  that  the  Sunday  school  crowds  its  quarters. 
In  some  cases,  especially  in  country  and  village 
churches,  the  building  is  little  more  than  one  large 
bare  room.  The  building  may  be  substantial  in 
construction  or  the  congregation  may  be  unable  to 
rebuild  to  satisfy  the  modern  demands.  What 
can  be  done?  Obviously  each  problem  of  this 
type  is  individual,  not  permitting  of  a  general 
answer.  However,  certain  suggestions  can  be 
made  which  will  help  in  making  over  the  old  struc- 
ture into  something  more  modern.  The  study  of 
the  best  plans,  such  as  have  appeared  in  this 
book,  will  indicate  the  type  of  building  which  is 
desirable.  The  competent  church  architect  will 
be  able  to  accomplish  much  more  than  perhaps 
seems  possible.  Does  the  old  church  have  a  high 
and  dry  basement?  This  may  provide  a  quiet 
room  for  the  Beginners  and  Primary  departments 
by  means  of  plastered  partition  walls,  while  six  to 
a  dozen  classes  may  have  good  rooms  by  means 
of  the  temporary  curtains  on  wires  or  brass  rods,  or 
the  more  permanent  rolling  partition  (see  Fig.  42). 
Where  sufficient  money  is  available  for  an  addition 
104 


REMODELING    OLD    BUILDINGS     105 

it  is  usually  advisable  to  use  the  funds  for  the 
Sunday-school  quarters,  for  the  modern  demands 
are  relatively  so  complicated  that  it  would  be  better 
to  build  a  new  Sunday-school  building  than  to  at- 
tempt to  alter  an  old  church  building  into  Sunday- 
school  quarters.  There  is  often  a  lack  of  light 


G.  W.  Kramer,  Architect,  New  York 
FlG.  42 

in  the  old  church  building  which  will  require 
window  alterations.  Usually  more  can  be  accom- 
plished by  building  the  Sunday-school  portion  new. 
When  this  is  the  case,  ideas  and  suggestions  will 
come  from  the  late  plans  offered  herewith.  For 
instance,  note  how  effectively  a  modern  building 


io6     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    BUILDING 

can  be  realized  by  adopting  the  Cedar  Rapids  plan, 
using  the  old  auditorium  for  worship  and  adding 
classroom  facilities. 

The  same  principle  can  be  adopted  in  a  modi- 
fied form  in  the  smallest  church.  The  writer 
recently  saw  in  California  a  church  alteration 
costing  about  a  thousand  dollars  which  had  trans- 
formed the  Sunday  school  from  a  one-room  organi- 
zation to  a  three-department  school  with  three 
additional  classrooms.  This  was  accomplished  by 
the  simple  expedient  of  an  addition  at  the  rear 
of  the  church,  which  provided  separate  rooms 
for  the  Primary  and  Junior  departments,  and 
the  classrooms  mentioned.  The  membership  of 
the  school  was  about  a  hundred,  and  graded  work 
was  being  used  in  part.  In  a  large  city  school, 
where  the  problem  of  classrooms  had  become  acute, 
a  neighboring  flat  building  was  rented;  unex- 
pectedly efficient  quarters  for  about  twenty-five 
separate  classrooms  were  thus  added.  A  covered 
sidewalk  to  the  church  made  the  building  a  con- 
stituent part  of  the  Sunday-school  plant. 

It  need  never  be  considered  impossible  to 
improve  greatly  an  old  building.  Even  in  the  case 
of  the  single-room  country  church  with  no  base- 
ment, it  is  possible  by  means  of  curtains  to  add 
greatly  to  the  efficiency  of  the  school;  while  one 
rolling  partition  will  give  a  Primary  Department 
which  will  enable  the  teachers  to  do  infinitely 


REMODELING    OLD    BUILDINGS     107 

better  work.  The  cost  of  curtaining  off  a  half- 
dozen  classes  and  putting  a  rolling  partition  or 
folding  doors  across  a  small  building  for  the  Primary 
Department  need  not  exceed  $100.  This  method 
will  leave  the  building  intact  for  other  purposes. 
A  way  can  be  found  when  the  need  is  realized. 

Two  proposed  alterations  of  a  more  ambitious 
character  may  be  described  in  which  efficient  use 
was  made  of  the  present  buildings  and  at  the  same 
time  modern  equipment  was  provided  for  the 
Sunday  school.  In  each  case  a  large  saving  over 
new  construction  was  effected.  In  the  first 
plan  the  old  building  consisted  of  an  auditorium 
with  a  Sunday-school  room  in  the  rear.  The  old 
Sunday-school  room  was  used  largely  for  the  Junior 
Department,  and  a  portion  of  it  for  Senior  classes. 
The  new  construction  was  two  stories — first  floor 
and  basement.  On  the  first  floor  were  provided 
parlors,  dining-room,  and  kitchen,  which  were  also 
used  as  classrooms.  The  Primary  and  Kindergar- 
ten departments  were  provided  with  adequate 
rooms,  while  the  Intermediate  Department  had 
excellent  quarters  with  six  good  classrooms.  On 
the  basement  floor  was  planned  a  40X40  foot 
gymnasium,  swimming  pool  and  lockers,  bowling 
alleys  and  clubroom.  What  a  transformation  from 
a  two-room,  old-style  church! 

In  the  second  plan  a  substantial  one-room 
church  with  a  basement  Sunday-school  room  was 


io8     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

transformed  by  the  erection  of  a  two-story  and 
basement  addition.  The  basement  plan  provided 
for  a  dining-room  and  entertainment  room,  check- 
and  locker-rooms,  and  a  3oX5o-foot  gymnasium  in 
the  new  part.  The  first  floor  provided  for  Kinder- 
garten and  Primary  departments  and  parlor,  all 
three  capable  of  being  thrown  together  for  social 
purposes.  The  Junior  Department  had  an  excel- 
lent assembly-room  and  four  classrooms.  The 
second  floor  provided  nine  classrooms  and  club- 
rooms.  A  delighted  people  will  move  into  their  new 
church,  for  such  it  will  be  with  these  admirable 
additions  to  its  equipment.  Consultation  with  a 
competent  church  architect  will  often  reveal  possi- 
bilities of  improvement  not  realized  by  the  layman. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  BUILDING  COMMITTEE 

To  the  building  committee  of  a  church  is 
assigned  a  most  difficult  and  responsible  task. 
The  average  church  does  not  construct  more  than 
one  building  in  a  generation.  It  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  mistakes  should  be  avoided  and 
that  the  new  building  should  be  responsive  to 
future  needs. 

The  building  committee  should  enter  upon  its 
task  first  as  a  commission  to  study  the  needs, 
present  and  future,  of  the  church.  This  task  calls 
for  broadmindedness.  The  church  of  the  future 
will  be  called  upon  to  serve  in  other  ways  than  the 
church  of  the  past.  The  committee  should  cer- 
tainly include  in  its  membership  some  of  the 
younger  generation.  The  question  of  the  amount 
of  the  contribution  should  not  be  the  basis  for 
choice  of  building-committee  members. 

The  Sunday  school  is  destined  to  be  of  increas- 
ing importance  in  the  work  of  the  church.  The 
activity  of  the  church  in  religious  education  has 
resulted  in  the  past  in  three-fourths  of  the  increase 
in  church  membership.  There  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  the  coming  generation  will  show  a 
smaller  proportion  for  this  division  of  the  church's 

IOQ 


no     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

work.  But  in  addition  to  this  appeal  to  the  desire 
for  self-perpetuation  is  the  challenge  to  meet  more 
adequately  the  community  needs  for  religious  and 
moral  education.  Our  churches  through  their 
schools  must  do  more  of  this  necessary  work  and 
must  do  it  better  in  the  future.  The  all-pervasive 
principle  of  efficiency  demands  this  larger  result. 
The  wise  building  committee,  whether  the  church 
is  large  or  small,  will  give  special  thought  to 
generous  and  adequate  provision  for  the  Sunday 
school. 

Community  service  is  a  new  note  in  our  church 
life  which  will  receive  large  attention  in  the  coming 
generation.  An  earlier  chapter  (chap,  vii)  has 
enlarged  upon  this  theme.  The  building  com- 
mittee will  consider  with  the  utmost  seriousness 
what  facilities  shall  be  provided  for  this  field  of 
church  activity.  Community  service  keeps  the 
church  plant  busy  more  hours  every  week  and 
relates  the  church  more  vitally  to  the  physical, 
social,  educational,  and  recreational  needs  of  the 
community. 

One  of  the  first  and  most  important  steps  for 
the  committee  to  consider  is  the  choice  of  the 
architect.  The  wisdom  of  the  committee  in  this 
matter  will  determine  largely  the  success  or  failure 
of  the  building  to  be  constructed.  Shall  he  be  a 
local  man  ?  Shall  he  be  selected  by  competition  ? 
Or  shall  he  be  a  church  specialist,  widely  informed, 


SUGGESTIONS    FOR    BUILDING     in 

exceptionally  competent  to  help  in  the  problem 
of  the  committee?  The  obvious  answer  is,  The 
architect  should  be  a  church  specialist,  a  man  with 
wide  experience  in  building  churches,  alert  to  the 
modern  needs.  He  should  not  be  selected  by  com- 
petition; such  a  method  is  unsatisfactory  and  the 
best  men,  except  in  unusual  cases,  refuse  to  enter 
competitions.  The  church  specialist  may  be  a 
local  architect,  but  there  are  not  many  competent 
men  of  this  type  and  they  are  not  to  be  found  in 
every  community. 

The  architect  having  been  selected,  he  should 
be  treated  with  the  same  confidence  which  the 
medical  specialist  or  expert  lawyer  receives.  The 
committee  should  tell  him  what  it  considers  its 
present  and  future  needs,  but  should  be  open  to  his 
suggestions.  He  is  in  close  touch  with  the  best 
that  is  being  done  in  the  country.  The  committee 
may  well  feel  free  to  express  to  him  any  prefer- 
ences in  ideals  and  plans  which  have  come  to  it  in 
its  study. 

It  is  refreshing  to  learn  occasionally  of  a  church 
building  committee  that  seeks  honestly  and  sym- 
pathetically to  learn  the  real  needs  of  the  Sunday 
school,  and  which  recognizes  that  the  future  church 
will  be  recruited  largely  from  that  organization. 
Building  a  modern  Sunday-school  and  church 
building  is  one  of  the  most  complicated  tasks 
the  architect  is  called  upon  to  undertake,  for 


ii2     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

the  transition  situation  in  the  Sunday-school  world 
makes  difficult  the  satisfaction  of  every  need,  present 
and  future.  Many  a  building  constructed  within 
the  last  four  or  five  years  fails  to  show  a  suggestion 
of  attempted  response  to  the  needs  of  the  modern 
graded  Sunday  school.  And  in  many  cases  the 
failure  lies  at  the  feet  of  the  church  building  com- 
mittee, which  did  not  include  in  its  membership 
representatives  of  the  Sunday  school.  Despite 
the  radical  demands  of  the  new  Sunday-school 
building,  every  department  of  church  activity  can 
have  facilities  for  its  work  as  good  as,  or  better  than, 
in  the  older  type  of  building. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  chief  matters  of  adjustment 
will  be  the  favorite  plan  of  using  the  Sunday-school 
quarters  for  an  extension  of  the  normal  audience 
room.  This  plan  will  not  be  popular  in  the  future. 
Careful  study  of  many  cases  has  shown  that  the 
added  seating  capacity  is  rarely  used,  hence  there 
is  no  valid  reason  in  those  cases  that  Sunday-school 
facilities  should  be  sacrificed  to  the  desire  for  an 
enlarged  auditorium  two  or  three  times  a  year.  It 
is  questionable  whether  a  thoroughly  effective 
modern  Sunday-school  building  can  be  constructed, 
at  the  same  time  making  the  space  available  for 
added  seating  capacity  for  the  church  auditorium. 

A  new  church  costing  $100,000  recently  exam- 
ined by  the  author  is  not  less  than  40  per  cent 
inefficient  for  Sunday-school  purposes  because 


SUGGESTIONS    FOR    BUILDING     113 

the  minister  insisted  on  using  the  Sunday-school 
room  to  make  an  additional  capacity  of  four 
hundred  for  his  audience  room.  Another  church, 
costing  over  $150,000,  advertised  as  the  most 
modern  church  in  its  section,  has  extended  the 
steep  church  auditorium  gallery  about  the  Sunday- 
school  room  and  used  pews  of  the  same  style  in  the 
Sunday  school  as  in  the  church  proper.  And 
the  Sunday  school  burdened  itself  through  a  period 
of  years  to  pay  thousands  of  dollars  toward  this 
building!  Whenever  a  church  gains  the  vision 
of  efficiency  in  religious  education  and  provision  for 
the  leisure  hours  of  its  youth,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  constructing  a  Sunday-school  building 
which  will  respond  to  the  new  ideal. 

MEETING  THE  NEEDS  OF  OTHER  CHURCH 
ORGANIZATIONS 

An  examination  of  the  plans  and  descriptions 
preceding  will  show  that  while  the  Sunday  school 
often  has  been  apparently  the  primary  thought, 
yet  other  church  needs  have  been  amply  cared  for. 
What  better  use  can  be  made  of  the  church  parlor, 
for  example,  than  to  make  of  it  a  cheerful  Primary 
and  Beginners'  room  for  the  children  ?  The  gym- 
nasium and  entertainment  room  will  be  found 
available  for  the  occasional  dinners  of  other 
church  organizations.  The  secondary  auditorium 
or  one  of  the  departmental  rooms  will  serve 


ii4     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    BUILDING 

admirably  as  a  chapel.  Classrooms  respond  to  the 
needs  of  committee  meetings.  Every  club  will 
have  ample  quarters  in  the  classrooms.  The 
possible  clash  between  Sunday  school  and  morning 
worship,  when  the  same  auditorium  is  used,  can 
be  avoided  by  Sunday-school  worship  being  held 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Sunday-school  hour  with 
dismissal  from  the  classes  and  no  return  to  the 
church  auditorium.  Dismissal  of  the  Sunday- 
school  groups  directly  from  their  classes  without 
closing  exercises  is  a  proved  success  and  gives  to 
the  individual  teacher  the  opportunity  for  the  last 
impression.  Five  to  seven  minutes  of  lost  time 
for  reassembly  is  also  saved  to  the  lesson. 

GENERAL   SUGGESTIONS 

The  basement  of  the  church  building  is  not  the 
ideal  place  for  the  Sunday  school.  If  its  use  can 
possibly  be  avoided,  efforts  should  be  made  to 
do  so.  A  ground  floor  with  full-size  windows  is 
very  desirable.  This  will  enable  little  children 
to  enter  their  departments  with  few  or  no  steps.  If 
a  basement  must  be  utilized,  let  the  men's  class- 
rooms be  put  there.  What  true  father  would 
consign  his  children  to  the  basement  while  he  and 
the  mother  chose  the  sunny,  cheerful  rooms  for 
themselves!  Absurd  as  it  may  seem,  one  of  the 
otherwise  good  plans  for  a  new  building,  which  has 
recently  been  constructed,  shows  precisely  that 


SUGGESTIONS    FOR    BUILDING     115 

situation — down  the  dark  stairs  for  the  little 
children,  and  a  very  large  east  and  south  room  on 
the  ground  floor  for  the  "men's  class"! 

It  is  better  to  use  leaded,  clear  glass  in  Sunday- 
school  classrooms  than  deep-colored  glass.  Keep 
the  rooms  bright  and  cheerful.  The  competent 
architect  will  provide  good  ventilation  and  light 
for  every  room  in  which  people  are  asked  to  remain 
for  any  length  of  time.  There  are  technical  stand- 
ards in  these  respects  which  should  be  observed. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  halls  are  ample  and 
well  lighted,  that  stairs  should  have  an  easy  tread, 
and  should  in  no  case  be  of  a  winding  character 
with  narrower  footboards  at  one  side  than  the 
other.  Handrails  are  desirable  in  some  cases,  with 
a  second  rail  for  small  children.  An  adequate 
sanitary  drinking-water  supply  should  be  provided. 
Convenient  cloakrooms  adjacent  to  each  depart- 
ment are  desirable  in  which  umbrella  drips  should 
be  installed.  All  departments  and  classrooms 
should  be  reached  from  halls  and  not  through 
other  rooms.  Main  entrances  to  rooms  where 
worship  is  planned  should  be  from  the  rear. 

Provision  against  panic  from  fire  should  be 
made.  At  least  two  staircases  built  of  fireproof 
material  should  be  available  from  upper  floors. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  require  either  fireproof 
stairs  or  fire  escapes  on  all  Sunday-school  buildings 
of  three  stories  or  over. 


n6     THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   BUILDING 

Toilets  should  be  conveniently  located  on  main 
halls,  not  in  dark  basement  corners.  Those  for 
the  two  sexes  should  not  be  located  adjacent  to 
each  other  or  on  the  same  hall. 

Frescoings  should  be  restful  in  character.  The 
good  colors  do  not  cost  more  than  those  which  are 
objectionable.  Red  and  blue  will,  of  course,  be 
avoided.  Soft  tones  of  brown  and  green  are  most 
desirable.  It  is  better  to  trust  the  architect  and 
decorator  in  this  matter  than  to  take  a  vote  of 
the  committee. 


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